The Outcast and the Sorcerer
by NostalgieMalaak
Summary: Complete. On a distant world, those with magic abilities have been made outcasts. When an ancient evil returns to destroy the world the only ones who can save it are those that have been shunned.
1. Forward

Title: The Outcast and the Sorcerer

Author: NostalgieMalaak

Pairings: eventual 4xR, 6x9

Warnings: AU, OOC (probably especially for Zechs and Noin), the only characters from Gundam Wing that appear in this story are Quatre, Zechs, Noin, Relena, and Sally, so if you were hoping for some of the others they're not here. Sorry about that.

Notes: **Read This VERY IMPORTANT: **heh, okay I hope that got people's attention. Can't tell you how many of these things _I _don't read so…Anywho this story is **AU**. Also I wrote this right after watching Gundam Wing for the very first time, so this story is really old. In fact, I didn't even know there was a thing called fanfiction when I wrote it. That being said, I have left most of it in its original state with very few revisions. Here's my apology beforehand if it sounds like an eighth grader wrote it because…well…an eighth grader did write it.

The story is divided into four parts with each part focused on one or two characters. The last part has all the characters together.

Disclaimer: I didn't own Gundam Wing back then and I still don't. Blow off the dust and let the story begin!

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The Outcast and the Sorcerer

Forward

On the distant world of Tera, darkness had spread. A darkness spread by two of the rare "gifted" people of the planet. The people of Tera, the Terans, had always known that there were some people that were born on their world who possessed strong and dangerous powers of the mind. Powers that let them control things with a mere thought. Then came two men whose powers far exceeded anything anyone had ever seen. They used those incredible powers to bring death and war to the planet. Their actions almost ended in the destruction of all Terans. These two powerful men came to be known as Faitom and Daitom, or in the Teran's language: Death and Darkness.

Then a miracle happened. A child was born in a far distant land. That child had the one gift that destroyed the two dark sorcerers. This gift became known throughout legend as the power of Isis. Before the sorcerers died though, they vowed that they would return some day by being born again, aware of who they were and of their purpose to totally obliterate all life on planet Tera. For a time though, the world was restored to peace.

One hundred years has past since the destruction of the two dark sorcerers. Since then, many children had been born who possessed "the gift," as it came to be called, but none of them possessed the power that the two sorcerers or the one who had defeated them had. Nonetheless, the Terans feared these rare people because they were so afraid of the return of the dark times. Those gifted people became outcasts and were hated by all those who did not posses the gift.

Their hatred seemed to intensify when darkness began spreading over the land once more. Deep in the hearts of the people it was realized that as promised, a dark sorcerer had returned. Deaths were being reported around the world that confirmed the rumor that indeed, a sorcerer had returned. The people only hoped that they would again be delivered by someone who possessed the power of Isis, for it was legend that the holder of that power would also be reborn should the dark times ever come again.


	2. Part 1: Chapter 1

Notes: Since this is AU I decided to make Quatre's dad an OC (non GW character) so that I could make him evil. Other than that his mom and sister (Iria) are like they are in the GW universe.

Other Notes: see Forward

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Chapter One

An Outcast is Born

The woman shrieked and cried with pain that seemed would never end. This childbirth was different from the others. This time there was much more blood. Too much. The man at her side looked at her not knowing why the pain was so great, but only trying to find a way to ease it. The lady had a grip like death on her husband's hand. It seemed as if she were willing the pain to leave her through that grip, and he was trying just as hard to see that agony go.

Finally, the shrieks of the new babe could be heard. The woman gave a great sigh, the pain etched on her face, and lay still.

"No, no it can't be! Quatrina! Don't leave me!" sobbed the nearly hysterical husband.

The maids rushed forward trying to pull him from the dead woman. Several little girls came in at that moment. The oldest looked at her father, and at the form of her dead mother and shrieked.

"Get those children out of here!" Bellowed the birthing nurse, still clutching the new born child to her bosom. The other maids herded the girls out while the birthing nurse tried to comfort the distraught father.

"It is a fine young son. See? It will grow into a healthy child, small as the poor motherless thing is."

But the father had only a look of contempt and hatred for his new son.

"Get that...that thing away from me! It has taken the most precious thing in my life away! Leave me now. Leave me!

The birthing nurse turned and walked out the door. She held up the child, now asleep, and looked it over carefully.

"Now, my child. Even though the lady is dead, you shall live and be the most beautiful child there was. You need a name though. I will call you...Quatre. There, that seems to fit."

The baby began to stir and opened his wide eyes.

"Sea-green eyes just like your mother Quatrina," muttered the old woman," how fitting, but you'll have Kuatron's blonde hair. Mmmm...you shall have an interesting future you will, full of hard times and bitter thoughts, but you'll be a kind child, you will."

The baby smiled up at her and closed his eyes.

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The small island of Cailon was ruled by an old and prosperous family. The family had radiated both peace and harmony to the people that lived on that island. The Winner family, had come to that island long before anyone could remember and had set up a pacifist government for the people who soon came to live there. The Winners supported the peoples' ideas of peace and the people likewise supported the Winners.

Most of the time, because they were so isolated, the people of the island had no idea of what was happening in the world around them. The only real messages they ever received were from the trade ships that came into harbor twice a year. The lack of communication didn't really effect anyone though. Why should they bother with the problems of other people in the world when there were enough problems already in the Winner family to keep them entertained? Keeping a close watch on the activities of the ruling family kept the people on the island happy because it gave them something to gossip about.

The newest gossip on Cailon was that the family had finally given birth to a son. After nine girls it was about time, or so they said. But, alas, the mother had died during the birth of her only son. Such a terrible tragedy and so near the spring feast too!

Even though the villagers cared little about the outside world, drastic things were happening. Deaths were being reported all over the world, and no one knew the cause of them. Many said that it was disease, but a few thought it was something much worse than that. They believed that a darkness was returning. A darkness so great and terrible that it would shatter their lives and take everything away from them that they had worked so hard to achieve. That darkness would be caused by two men. They were demons more than men some said, that would kill and destroy everything to quench their thirst for evil. Only two such men had ever existed before, and they had brought about a fear that had only recently been stilled. Those people who had lived through that encounter feared that two such wizards would come again, to finish what they had begun. It seemed as if one of those wizards had now returned.

This tale began to spread, and soon, every person who was known to have special powers was being hunted down and killed. Normal people had always known that some people were born with incredible powers, powers of the mind. Some of these gifted people could make things happen with only a thought. These people had used those powers to help the normal people, but now no one remembered that. The normal people just wanted to destroy that which they feared and didn't understand. These strange abilities of the mind were seen to be evil because the two dark sorcerers had such abilities. It was dangerous times for anyone who had such a rare and powerful gift.

It was at this time when it was dangerous to be different that Quatre was born. The birthing nurse had foretold that Quatre was to have an interesting future. She soon began to realize how right she was when she began to care for the child, his mother being dead.

At first Pertania, or so the birthing nurse's name was, began to see little things happening around Quatre that were very strange indeed. She would find small toys in his cradle when she knew that she hadn't put them there, and she was pretty sure no one else had.

It wasn't until Quatre was one year old that Pertania realized what was causing the strange happenings. She was letting the baby play on the floor when he crawled out of her line of vision and towards the front steps which were quite long and steep. By the time she realized he was no longer in the room and began a search he had already reached the top of the stairs. She let out a startled exclamation, and distracted by the noise, he toppled down the stairs. She let out a shriek and ran to catch him only to realize that he wasn't lying dead at the bottom of the stairs as her heart told her he must be. In fact he wasn't even touching the stairs at all! He was suspended in mid air by what appeared to be little blue tendrils of fog. It was then that Pertania realized that Quatre was one of the rare few who possessed the gift.

Pertania let out a whoop of surprise and scurried forward. She caught the babe in her arms and began to scold him while caressing him and checking to see if he had any injuries. She had heard from the last group of traders who had come to harbor only a few days ago that such people who possessed the innate ability such as Quatre did were being hunted down and killed. It was also rumored on the island now that one of the dark sorcerers had returned to the land. Many people scoffed at the rumor but at the same time kept a wary eye out and talked in whispered tones when they spoke of the matter. Pertania could have cared less about a rumor about a dark wizard, but she was afraid of what the people might think or do if they ever found out that one of the dreaded people that possessed qualities of the dark lords was right on their little island.

She placed Quatre back into his crib and began to sing softly to him. He smiled up at her with his big blue-green eyes and gurgled happily. She smiled at his young ignorance, but her smile betrayed her deep fears for him. It was alright that now he was just a babe, but what would happen when he grew older and people found out about his gift?

"Some 'gift'," she snorted, "when everyone who possessed it was being treated like some hideous disease. Well, I will always love you young Quatre." He looked up at her, closed his eyes and went to sleep. Pertania looked down on the baby and a wave of pity for him came over her. "Not even loved by your own father, for he won't even let you into his house," she whispered."I truly hope that I am not the only one who doesn't treat you like an outcast, my little Quatre."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Master of the Island

Kuatron looked out of his large bedroom window which overlooked the harbor. He watched as the fishing fleet prepared their nets and pushed off from the docks out into the blue ocean. He continued to stare as if in a trance as the water swirled with debris and sand churned up from the bottom by the receding ships. The master of the island let out a great sigh and turned away from the view. Quatrina had always loved the sea. Thinking of her was always very painful, but wherever he went he was reminded of her long light brown hair that framed her petite face and her wide, gentle eyes. Her eyes were the thing he missed most about her. Those expressive, sea-green eyes. Whenever he thought of those eyes though, he thought about his son.

The very thought caused a snarl to come to his lips and he wished every time he thought of Quatrina that the child had not been born. True, he had been wishing that she would give birth to a son so that the inheritance would stay in the direct family, but he would rather the child had died instead of his wife.

Kuatron decided to try and forget about his son by immersing himself in his work. However hard he tried though, his thoughts always wandered back to the boy. Kuatron knew that the birthing nurse Pertania had him and was raising him in her cottage. What had she named him again? Oh, yes he remembered. It was Quatre. How dare she name that thing after him and his beloved wife!

That name nagged on his brain all day and finally convinced him that he would go to the cottage and request, no, demand that the childs' name be changed! The boy would never inherit this island and would certainly not have the family name, much less his wife's and his. His mind made up, Kuatron prepared to head to the little cottage on the edge of town. He was just pulling on his boots when a messenger from the main town on the island, the town that the Winner palace was situated, hurried into his office.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"Sir, urgent news from the harbor. You are needed there at once," the boy gasped out.

It wasn't until after dark that night that Kuatron remembered about his plans of going down to Pertania's cottage. The idea had been pushed out of his head until then with one thing after another that he was required, or urgently needed to do. He suddenly realized that just changing the boy's name really wouldn't help him much. The child being the only male and direct descendent of him would inherit the throne no matter what he did. The last thing in the world Kuatron wanted to do was to put Quatre on the throne. It was enough just having to remember that it was that child that had been the cause of his wife's death. Oh how he wished, as he did every day, that the child had died instead of his Quatrina!

His rambling thoughts had suddenly given him another idea. What if he were to say that the child had come down with a disease and died? Then he could chose who ever he wanted to inherit the throne! That was the answer!

There was still one problem though. He couldn't really kill the boy, and he couldn't banish Pertania and him from the island. She might very well tell him about his bloodlines. He would much rather keep the child nearby to make sure that he never found out.

Kuatron took out some parchment and ink and began writing the terrible letter to Pertania ordering her not to tell the boy that he was the direct descendant of the Winner bloodline under pain of death. Then all that was left was get this news spread across the island. He smiled and realized how easy that would be with the way that the inhabitants of the island loved to gossip about the Winner family. All that was needed was to pass along the false information to the right people and soon the whole island would know about the tragic death of his only son and direct heir to the throne. He grinned maliciously. It was all but too easy.

The news of the death of the Winner boy did not sit well with the people of the island of Cailon. At first they felt pity for the son, because he had hardly a chance to live at all. Then the pity turned towards the father. How awful it must be first to lose his wife, and then his only son! When Quatre's funeral was held, the line of mourners stretched from the Winners private burial ground by the sea, where the burial was being held, throughout the streets of the main town to the very outskirts and the slums of the suburbs.

Pertania was ordered to attend the funeral and act as though she was mourning the death of the child. Afterwards she was to continue caring for the child, but she was never to let him out of the house and was never to tell him who his parents were. The old woman asked several times why this elaborate scheme was being held but she was told not to ask questions and to just obey the wishes of Kuatron.

Pertania knew in her heart though why Kuatron was posing his son's death. It gave him the opportunity to name whoever he wanted as successor to the throne. She felt a strong hatred toward Kuatron and his biased and unjust plan. He didn't even know his son, and yet he was ready to forget all about him. Pertania thought that Kuatron's hatred was misplaced. He shouldn't carry a grudge against his son. It wasn't the boy's fault that Quatrina had died. For some reason though, no one could make Kuatron see that.

Pertania did attend the funeral, and her sadness was not simply an act. She felt truly sorry for Quatre. Not because he was dead, because he wasn't, but because of the isolated life he would have to endure. With the orders that no one was to know that he was still alive, Quatre would never know anyone else but Pertania. He would never have any friends, and would probably never even be allowed to leave the confines of Pertania's cottage. When he was older how would she keep him from asking why he was never allowed to leave? A boy of his already known intelligence would not be satisfied with the lies that Pertania could tell him. _No_, thought Pertania, _if he ever asks I will tell him the truth_.

It was doubtful that Kuatron would ever find out that she had disobeyed his orders. Anyway, the truth was always better even if it was a harsh truth. With that renewed sense of purpose Pertania headed back to her cottage where Quatre was in his crib fast asleep.

Quatre grew quickly over the next few years. Even though he was a very curious child, he never asked any questions. Pertania noticed that he was a very sweet child and whenever she was home he would follow her around clutching the edge of her skirt and sucking on a small cloth. His beautiful blue-green eyes were always alert whenever he was awake, taking in everything that happened around him. His eyes though seemed to do all the talking for him because he was very quiet. He was very attentive though and listened to everything that Pertania said.

"Yes, I went down to the street market today and picked up some fresh fruit for you Quatre," she would babble on, "and I also bought you a new pair of trousers, because you are just growing so fast, aren't you pet?

He listened to this and would always smile and nod at her around the edge of the wet rag he clutched in one fist, the rest of it in his mouth. Quatre also began to show another interest besides listening to everything Pertania said. He experimented with his gift. He would make small objects and toys zoom through the air into his playpen. Every time he did this he would laugh happily and look up at Pertania to see if his action had amused her too.

Most of the time though, she would shake her head and cluck her tongue at him disapprovingly. Quatre could never find out why this displeased her so. He didn't want to make her angry, but he couldn't help using his power. The small boy used it as much as possible when she was out of the house, but was always careful to make everything return to where it had come from before she returned home. As careful as Quatre was, Pertania still realized what he was doing. She didn't know how to tell him not to though because he was only three years old.

When he was five years old though, Pertania finally her foot down on the matter. She had told him for what seemed the hundredth time that week, that no, he could not go outside. He then tried to sneak out be the back door, but she caught him and began to lecture him fiercely that he was not allowed outside. Thinking that the matter had been settled, she turned back to her work. Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw a brilliant flash of blue light, and then the sound of glass breaking. She turned around to see Quatre standing in the middle of the living room surrounded by the glass from the shattered front window.

"Quatre!" she shouted."What did you do?!"

"I...I didn't mean to!" he cried and ran from the room.

Later that night after she had cleaned up the glass and put a sheet over open window, Pertania called Quatre to her. With head bowed low, he walked in slowly. He looked quickly at the window and then up at Pertania. The boy looked so dejected that she walked over to him and put her arm around his small bony shoulders. She steered him over to the soft couch and sat him down on it.

"Quatre, you must listen to me. Now don't look at me that way, I'm not mad at you. What you do need to understand is that you shouldn't use your gift."

"But, why not?" he asked.

"Because Quatre, there are people that if they ever found out about your gift they would try to hurt you. Do you understand?"

He shook his head slowly, "Why would anyone want to hurt me? They don't even know I'm here."

She looked at him sharply, "How did you know that?"

"Because I listen to you," he replied mischievously.

"I never said...but anyway people might want to hurt you because, well, a long time ago two bad men who had powers like yours came to the land and hurt a lot of people. Now it is rumored that one of those men has returned. People are afraid that those who have extraordinary gifts like yours are following that bad man and want to hurt people too. Do you understand?"

"Yes," he began slowly, "but I don't want to hurt anyone."

"I know that Quatre, but there are those out there that don't know that. And Besides, you might hurt someone on accident, just like what happened with the window. That's why it isn't good to use your powers. You must promise me that you won't ever use your powers again unless it is an emergency. Promise?"

"Yes, I promise," he said as he let out a huge yawn.

"It's late, and you need to get to bed. Goodnight," she watched as he stood and walked wearily to his bedroom down the hall. The old woman felt slightly relieved. She knew that it was unlikely that he would disobey her after what she had said. Pertania sighed with relief and headed to her bedroom feeling every bit as tired as Quatre.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Unexpected Visitor

Kuatron had thought that his ingenious plan would be enough to rid him of thinking of his son every day, but it didn't. If anything it made him think of Quatre even more. He was always troubled by the thought that Pertania would disobey him and tell Quatre everything. If that happened, there wasn't really anything Quatre could do about it at the moment because he was only ten, but when he turned eighteen...Kuatron preferred not to think about it. When a boy became a man at age eighteen, he had to chose what he would do with the rest of his life. Most of the time, those men journey far from home and found a profession that they enjoyed and learned how to do that profession from an expert. By the time Quatre turned eighteen, if he found out about his birthright he could claim the throne and there was nothing Kuatron could do about it. He would just have to make sure that he never found out. Kuatron decided to pay Pertania a visit to make sure that she obeying him. After all, wasn't the whole purpose of keeping them on the island to make sure that she didn't tell the boy anything?

When Kuatron reached the bottom of the steps that led up to Pertania's cottage he stopped and listen to see if she was indeed at home. Soon, her voice was carried out through the open window at the top of the house. Kuatron climbed the steep steps and rapped on the solid wooden door. The noise coming from the upstairs window stopped abruptly. The door in front of him was opened slowly. Then Pertania's head poked through the crack in the door. Her eyes widened withsurprise but she beckoned him into the house.

It wasn't until the door closed behind her that she whirled around and confronted the master of the island.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"It is my island. I am allowed anywhere I want," he answered imperiously.

"Where is the boy?"

"Your _son_, is upstairs. I don't let him come down when there are people around the house," she said.

"Good," he grunted. He continued to stand at the doorway and looked casually around the interior of the house.

"Well, I have work to do, so if you have nothing more to say to me I suggest you leave. I'm sure that Quatre would also like to come out sometime too," said Pertania interrupting Kuatron's thoughts.

Kuatron glared down at her. "Never, never mention that name in my presence again, do you here me? And yes there is something else I came here for. I want to know if you've told him anything."

"No," came the stern reply.

"He hasn't asked about anything then?" Kuatron demanded to know.

"No," replied Pertania again, "Qua...he never asks anything except why he isn't allowed outside, or why he has to hide whenever anyone comes to the house, or why he doesn't get to do the things he should be allowed to do being a human being!" Her whole answer had steadily grown in intensity and volume. She also had tears in her eyes, which she brushed away quickly.

"Well then, I'll just be leaving now. Remember, he is not to know anything!" Kuatron punctuated the last part of his farewell with a sharp wag of his finger at Pertania. He turned and slammed the door behind him. He then jogged quickly down the stairs feeling somewhat relieved. Why had she gotten so worked up he wondered? Oh well, at least she hadn't told the boy anything. That was a weight off his mind. Kuatron headed back towards the huge Winner family estate feeling rather pleased with himself.

After Kuatron left, Pertania sank down onto the couch and buried her face in her hands. It was Pertania's sobs that alerted Quatre. He came running down the stairs and into the living room. Pertania was there, and she pretended to be busy, but he could see that she had been crying.

"What...what's the matter? Did that man hurt you?" he reached forward and tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she brushed him away. "What's the matter, did I do something wrong?" he asked tentatively.

"No, no Quatre my darling," she answered sniffling, then reached out and held his hand. "Come here, there is something I must tell you. If I hold it inside me much longer I feel that I will burst! Now, you know that I have always been truthful to you your whole life right? Remember that day when you were seven and I told you that I thought you were old enough to know that I'm not your real mother? Well now I'm going to tell you who your real parents are. That man who came to the door was the master of this island. His name is Kuatron Winner. He is your father Quatre. He was married to a woman named Quatrina who died during your birth. I don't know why, but he blames you for her death and can't stand the sight of you or even to hear your name. When you were just about one, he made it look like you had died so that you wouldn't inherit the throne. That's why you've never been allowed outside the house, and why you must hide whenever someone comes by the house. No one is to know that you are still alive. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Quatre nodded his head dumbly. The huge amount of information was almost too much to take in.

"Quatre look at me," said Pertania gently pulling him to her. "I shouldn't have told you all that, but I thought that you had the right to know."

"Yes, thank you. It was right for you to tell me," Quatre whispered. "Will you get in trouble for telling me?

"Only if your father finds out. That's why it is still important for you to be hidden until the time comes for you to reveal yourself," she replied. "I just thought that this might help you to understand why you have to be hidden. Does it?" "Yes, it really does Pertania," he said quietly still trying to absorb all that he had just heard.

"Well," said Pertania briskly,"dinner is almost done. Go get washed up."

She was just exiting the room when Quatre spoke,"When will it be the right time?"

"Soon," she said,"soon."

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Oddly enough the opportunity for Quatre to come out of hiding wasn't too far in the future. His plan to reveal himself came to him when it was announced that Kuatron was going to be remarried. At first Quatre felt angry that his father would marry another person after being married to his mother for so long. But then Quatre was already angry at Kuatron for all that he had put him through.

The root of Quatre's plan was not with the new wife, but with her son who was three years older than him. Even though the new stepson of Kuatron opened an opportunity for Quatre, it also posed as a problem. Being older than him, the new son would most likely be announced to inherit the island before Quatre was eighteen and could claim the throne himself. Besides, with the whole island believing that Quatre was dead, the new son would be the most eligible heir even though he was not related by blood to Kuatron. When the stepson was announced to claim the inheritance though, that would be the ideal time for Quatre to make himself known. The stepson couldn't inherit the island if there was a son who was related by blood to Kuatron, no matter how old Quatre was.

With this new plan in mind, Quatre was able to bear his confinement. Pertania

agreed with the plan but it would not take place for at least another five years. It would be five years until Romsk, the new stepson would turn eighteen and Kuatron could announce him as the heir. That was five long years that Quatre had to wait. Even when the heir was announced though, Quatre would only be fifteen. Even though the laws made by the Winner family stated that if there was a blood son, he would be first choice to the inheritance, Pertania wondered if Quatre would be accepted as the long lost son of Kuatron.

The next day, after the news that Kuatron was to be remarried had been spread throughout the entire island, a message came to Pertania. The message stated that she was ordered to attend the wedding. At first she wondered why she of all people would be asked to come, but then soon realized that it was simply another opportunity for Kuatron to keep an eye on her. Had he found out that she had told Quatre everything? It was silly to think that he had, but still the matter troubled her. She thought that maybe she should say she was ill, or that she was injured and couldn't possibly attend. Quatre though thought that she should go and learn all she could about the new wife, and about his new stepbrother.

When she asked him why, he answered simply that it might be useful to his plan. Pertania finally consented to go and began to prepare for the ceremony which was to be held the next evening.

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Kuatron smiled and chuckled softly in his study next to his bedroom. He felt so pleased with himself, that his emotions were bordering on giddy. He had assured the fact that Pertania had not told the boy anything several times, and now by marring this new woman who had come to live on the island he had been able to pick his own heir to the throne which happened to be her son. All he would have to do was wait until his new son was eighteen and then announce him as heir. After that, there would be no way that anyone would believe that his first son was still alive. Besides, his first son was three years younger than Romsk, his adopted son, and so would not be able to claim the throne before Romsk was announced as heir. True, Roma, Romsks mother wasn't very pretty, and she did have a high pitched nasally sort of voice, but her son suited his purpose quite well. He grinned with a sort of fiendish delight and decided that he would go see his new son and heir.

Romsk was by no means a small boy. He was tall, with broad muscular shoulders and huge hands and feet. He didn't look a thing like his mother who was slender with very long legs. Romsk also didn't have much of an education either. No matter though, where Romsk lacked in education he made up for in physical activity. He was just the type for being the hero of all the sports he played. His light brown hair and small gray eyes matched his whole personality too. He was instantly the center of attention on the island. The girls from the island would line up half a block just to get a look at the boy who would be Kuatron's new son. When the wedding ceremony was ready to begin, the multitudes of people who had been invited hastily found a seat on the floor of the giant ballroom in the Winner's huge mansion. There was much scraping of chair legs on the hard wood floor, but soon everyone was settled in. On the small stage usually used for the musicians were the Winner family, seated there to look down upon the floor in front of them were Kuatron and Roma were to be married. Those in the Winner family included several aunts and uncles and also Kuatron's nine girls and Romsk. The oldest of the girls, Iria, had been in quiet conversation with Romsk.

Pertania showed up in her finest clothing and hurriedly took a seat in the back right before the ceremony had begun. Those that saw her enter whispered among themselves. Even though Pertania couldn't hear them, she knew that they were talking about her and Quatre, about how she had taken care of him until he had "died." She tried not to look at the whisperers. It wasn't right for them to be gossiping about Quatre at Kuatron's wedding. She didn't have much time to dwell on the matter though because the ceremony started. Pertania noticed that the wife wasn't very pretty, and certainly not Kuatron's type, but her son was tall and handsome and looked just right for the part of an heir.

After the wedding, all the chairs were moved back and placed among tables thatwere lined up against the wall, leaving a clear space in the middle of the ballroom for dancing. The place where the Winners had been sitting was now being cleared for the musicians. While the quartet was setting up, lines were being formed behind the long tables where food was being served. Pertania decided to take a seat at one of the far tables to the right, away from the head table where Kuatron would be sitting instead of joining the line for food. The very thoughtof eating the food that was prepared in honor of Kuatron made Pertania's appetite disappear in an instant. When everyone had again been seated Kuatron rose to give a toast. Pertania blocked out the speech and the applause that followed after it. It was probably just lie after lie to humor the gossipy people of the island. The people sitting at the table with Pertania kept casting sly looks in her direction, but would not speak to her. This was just fine with Pertania. She didn't want to talk to those people anyway. She just wanted to keep a close eye on the new son, Romsk.

Throughout the meal he seemed to be in close conversation again with Iria. She was quite a bit older than him, by about ten years, but nonetheless they chatted on as if they were close friends of the same age. Pertania sighed. She hoped that Iria would not put Romsk in Quatre's place and forget about her real little brother so soon.

After the plates had been cleared off the tables, the dance music started up. Partner after swirling partner entered the dance square until it seemed as if there would be no more room for so much as a child to squeeze in. Through this crowd, Pertania had a hard time spotting Romsk. It seemed as if he was always on the dance floor. Finally after tiring of straining her eyes to catch a glimpse of Romsk he suddenly appeared at the next table, pulling a red faced Iria down beside him.

They took a minute to catch there breath before they started talking again. Pertania scooted a little closer to hear what they were saying. For a while they talked about the sports that Romsk played, and the tournaments he had entered. Then the conversation swung abruptly to a different topic.

"So, do you have any brothers or sisters that we haven't met yet?" Iria inquired.

"No. And I'm glad I don't. Gees, it must be tough looking after eight little sisters huh? I bet your dad got tired of your mom only having girls too,"answered Romsk.

"Well," Iria began softly, "I did have a little brother once. My mother died during his birth but he lived for a little while. He wasn't allowed to live in the castle though. I'm not sure why. But then he died when he was about a year old of some strange disease or something. I'm really not sure."

"Well, I guess that worked out to my advantage 'cause now I get to be the heir," he said, not really knowing that what he had said upset Iria very much.

"Excuse me," she said crossly and got up from the table. She turned her back to him with a neat flick of her dress and disappeared into the crowded dance square.

Pertania was greatly relieved by Iria's reaction. It meant that if Quatre ever did return, he would at least probably be able to convince Iria that it was really him. It had sounded like Iria still thought about him and still missed him.

Pertania didn't stay long at the ball. She hurried home to the cottage to tell Quatre about what she had seen and heard. After she had told him all she knew about his new step family, he thanked her and went straight to bed. She found it odd that he would go to bed so early, but then he probably wasn't going to sleep. He would probably stay up thinking about everything he had heard.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Heir is Revealed

The next several years seemed to pass slowly. Quatre could hardly bear his confinement. Pertania tried all she could to ease his troubled mind, but she had been old when he was born, and wasn't getting any younger. She wasn't able to do her rounds as birthing nurse anymore because she had trouble with all the walking she was expected to do. She was even having trouble some days just moving about the house. Quatre was very worried about her, but whenever he would ask how he could help her, she always replied that she didn't need any help and that she was just fine. Her deterioration was becoming so bad that she couldn't go into town anymore for food. When Quatre offered to do it for her, she flatly refused. If Kuatron ever found out that Quatre had left the house he would most likely forget about the importance of bloodlines and kill Quatre on the spot. Instead Pertania called on one of her relatives that lived in town to bring her food. The relative readily agreed, but because they didn't know that Quatre was living with Pertania they only brought enough food for one person.

Pertania would beg Quatre to eat more of the little food they were brought, but he insisted that her health was more important. Because of this, Quatre often went hungry.

When Quatre turned fourteen, Pertania took a turn for the worse. She came down with an awful cold that put her into her bed for several weeks. During that time, her relative from the city would come and check on her and make her food every day. Quatre was forced to hide in the tiny attic of the cottage until the relative left. Sometimes this wouldn't be for several hours. To amuse himself while he was trapped in the attic he would practice with his gift, something he had not been allowed to do since the incident with the window years ago. Sometimes he would try little things like making the dust motes fly around the room as if they were caught in some miniature tornado. Sometimes though he would hold out his hands and will some of his energy into his hands. The feeling that it gave him was the same as when he had broken the window. It was a sort of high, floaty feeling that gave him and enormous sense of power. He would turn that energy in a blue orb that fit in the palm of his hands. He could control that energy by concentrating on it. He would then make it sort of evaporate into the air only leaving behind a few blue sparks that drifted to the dusty floor and went out. Every time he would do this though, it would make Quatre very tired. He decided that the only way to overcome his tiredness was to practice a lot with it. This wasn't hard because he had a lot of time to practice.

One day Quatre finally reached a point in his practicing where he didn't feel tired and unenergetic after summoning forth his power. He felt very pleased with this achievement, but knew that the energy he was summoning wasn't very strong. It was only about as strong as that he had used to break the window with. Any stronger and he would begin to feel a little weak after summoning it. He was proud though that he had been able to control the power so much though. It wasn't simply a random off let to his emotions anymore. Every night after Pertania's caretaker had left Quatre would climb down from the attic. He would check on Pertania before getting some food for himself. Every day she seemed so much paler and she looked so different just lying motionless on her bed, too weak to even sit up. Looking at her made Quatre's heart ache for love of her, and disgust for his father whose orders had made it impossible for him even to care for her most of the time. One thing that Quatre had a lot of time to do in the attic besides practicing with his gift was to think. He would sit and think of his life and about his family. He would sit and listen too. Listen to the sound of Pertania's hacking, rasping coughs coming from the bedroom below.

----------

Every day Kuatron would sit with his stepson and teach him all that he thought he should know about the island and about how he was to rule it. The boy though seemed to care more about his sports and the girls that would call upon the mansion to see him. One day Kuatron became angry at Romsk's inattention to his studies and asked him if he truly thought he wanted to be the heir or not.

Romsk replied that he did, but why did Kuatron have to get so angry at him? He was listening, but he wanted more than to just study all the time. He knew about the island, and the people, and its traditions. Couldn't he just go then and talk to his friends?

Kuatron was upset at his stepson's lack at interest for learning. He would only be young and able to do the sports he wanted to for a little while longer. Then what would he do? He wouldn't be athletic for his whole life so he might as well start learning how to do what he would have to do the rest of his life and stop wasting time on foolish activities. He was seventeen anyway. Now more than ever he had to start acting like an heir because he would be one as of the next year.

Iria spent a lot of time with Romsk too. She always supported him in all of his physical activities. The episode at the party seemed to be forgotten. Iria was also happy now that Romsk would be the heir. She had worried for a while that her third cousin would inherit the throne. That cousin was as mean as he was stupid, and he would have turned Cailon into awful place to live even with Kautron's teachings. Another one of Iria's worries was what she was expected to do with the rest of her life. Her father wanted her to marry, but so far there weren't any men that she liked particularly. The advantage though was that as the oldest her father couldn't choose for her. If she wanted to remain unmarried, then she could.

It wasn't until about a month before the ceremony in which Romsk would be announced heir that Iria began to think of Quatre again. She felt that he would have been nothing like Romsk. This thought gave her mixed feelings. She liked Romsk, but he thought about himself too much, and didn't really think about other people's feelings. She tried to imagine what her brother would have looked like and always received the image of a small person, like their mother, with kind eyes, and a caring heart. Thinking of Quatre only made Iria sad though, so she tried to just focus on Romsk and accepting him as her new brother. Romsk simply took her attention as being due to his good looks and incredible athletic ability.

All too soon the week before the Heir's Ball, or so it was called, had come and everyone was busy preparing for it. Cailon had not had such a celebration in many years. All of the cooks of the royal family were up before dawn every morning and didn't retire from their work until well after midnight. They were working to their best potential to ensure that this Heir's Ball would never be forgotten. The rest of the servants were busy preparing bedrooms for the quests that would be arriving during the week. Distant family would be coming from all over and would need a place to stay. Not to mention all of the captains of all the ships who were making one of their two trips a year to Cailon. They came for a double purpose: to bring the guests who didn't live on the island, and to do trading because the people of the island would be looking for new items to wear and exotic foods to eat in celebration of the ball. As was custom, the whole island had been invited to attend the ball. Only those who were too old or too young didn't attend. The Heir's Ball was a celebration everyone had been waiting for ever since the birth of Quatre, and then after Kuatron had gained a step son. When the bulk of the guests did arrive, the only topic of all conversations was Romsk. This seemed reasonable because the celebration was in honor of him after all, but soon the guests tired of hearing about Romsk because the same stories of his physical achievements had been circulated around and were becoming quite dull after the third or fourth telling. The conversation than began to shift in another direction. This topic though was whispered to one another in case Kuatron might overhear. This conversation was about Quatre and people worried that if Kuatron were to hear them discussing it he would become upset because it was a very sad point of conversation. The last thing they wanted was for Kuatron to be reminded of his dead son on such a happy occasion. People still discussed Quatre though, and in doing so they tried to see if Quatre would have been anything like Romsk. Most people came to the conclusion though that Quatre would have been nothing like Romsk. Most saw him as Iria had: a youthful fifteen year old with his mother's eyes and his father's blonde hair. They murmured to themselves about how he had died and how awful it must have been for Kuatron. They soon began to feel deeply sorry that the child had died because he sounded so much more interesting than Romsk.

Even with all the talk of Quatre though, the ceremony still had to proceed with Romsk as the heir. The women began to pull out their best dresses from their traveling bags and the men went into town to buy things for themselves and their wives that would distinguish them from the rest of the quests. Another item that had to be purchased was a mask. To make the celebration's more fun, the Ball organizers had decided that it should be a masked ball. Everyone agreed that this was a wonderful idea and would surely make this ball something special. In Pertania's cottage Quatre thought that this was a good idea too and agreed that this ball would be something that no one would forget.

----------

As Pertania lay motionless in her bed, unable to muster the strength to sit up anymore, she listened to the sound of Quatre as he paced across the floor in the living room. _He seems to do that a lot_ she thought. She couldn't fault him for it though because she knew that he had a lot on his mind with the Heir's Ball drawing closer. Just the thought of the ball though made Pertania's heart pound with anxiety. She was so worried about Quatre and that he might fail just when it was so important to succeed. Her thoughts were interrupted by Quatre who had come in with her dinner. He sat on the edge of her bed very carefully and shot worried looks in her direction as he moved the table closer that supported the food.

"You know...Quatre...you'll...wear the floor out...with all that pacing, "she said, gasping for breath between each couple of words.

"You really shouldn't try to talk," he answered in a busy manner that didn't quite hide the worry he felt for her. "You should try to save your strength and focus on getting better."

"Oh, Quatre, "she said smiling," I'm not going to get better. I'm old...and I haven't got...much longer to live. I don't want you...to worry because...you have enough to worry about...with the ball tomorrow night. Think about that...and not about me."

After Quatre had left Pertania's room that night, he couldn't seem to stopworrying about her, no matter what she said. She just couldn't die and leave him.

Quatre suddenly felt a deep fear. What was to happen should she die? She had been his only contact with the human world. What would he do then? Where would he go?

His frenzied thoughts halted when he realized that he did have somewhere he could go, someplace he had to go. The ball was a little under twenty four hours away. In twenty four hours he would have a home. One that his birth ensured him to. With that thought, he flopped down on his bed and fell into a restless sleep.

----------

The cooks and servants awoke even earlier than they had been to prepare for the big day. The guests too were restless and tried to talk in quiet proper tones. Few succeeded. The feeling in the air caused everyone to be so excited that they felt that the evening celebrations would never come. Little children ran and screamed over the wide cobblestone paths playing games of tag. Their mothers tried to call them to order, but they themselves were exited and in good spirits. The men stood together in groups of three to four. They were clothed in their second best suits. Their best suits were to be worn that evening. They twirled their long moustaches and smoked sweet smelling pipes.

The day dragged on slower and slower. Romsk paced up and down the long halls, a small smile on his handsome face. It was one of those smiles that told Iria that Romsk's mind was anywhere but in the mansion. The young girls from the island would peer in through the windows and giggle at Romsk.

Quatre was also pacing the floor. His mind spun with everything that he had to remember and what he had to do. From behind Pertania's door came her rasping coughs. They had gotten so bad that it was now impossible for her to fully regain her breath after a coughing spell before another one started. Unlike Romsk, Quatre wasn't smiling. His brows were furrowed and his face was tense. His mouth was set in a hard line. His usually expressive eyes were clouded with fear and apprehension. He wondered if what he was planning to do was the right thing. Was it possible that Pertania had just told him that story of him being the heir so that she could live at the mansion again? No that couldnt be it. She wouldn't have still been so adamant about it if that was her reason because it was very possible that she would die soon. Also, she had never lied to him about anything else before. She wouldn't do that to him. He nodded his head in decision and then went to his room to change into his ball attire. Besides, anything would be better than staying in the old cottage for the rest of his life.

----------

Finally the ball was about to start. The doors to the huge ballroom were thrown open. The guests met the decor of the room with loud exclamation's of awe and wonder. From ceiling to floor the room was lit with candles. Long cream sheets of material crept up the walls and disappeared into the high rafters of the room.

Flowers were also very numerous and it was as if the room was a field of flowers. The guests streamed in, whispering lest they disturb the atmosphere of the beautiful room they found themselves in. As more people came in the quests became bolder and started mingling together and talking in polite social tones. The room was soon buzzing with the chatter of the excited people. The quartet in the corner started up a lively concerto. Then the royal family came in through one of the side doors. The girls were bedecked in the most extravagant clothing that most had ever seen. Even the richest women who was a guest there seemed bland in comparison to the stunningly beautiful Winner girls. There high boned facial features were hidden though by the masks that they wore. Their masks had been specially designed to match the shade and texture of each of their dresses. The guests clapped with immense enthusiasm for them, and then went back to their conversations. Most guests were so caught up in their small talk or the decorations that they didn't even notice as a young man clothed in royal blue and a plain black mask with a long flowing cape that was customary for men of his age to wear came into the ballroom. He walked slowly around the ballroom always keeping away from the center of the room where most of the people were gathered and ignoring any conversations that were directed his way. Most ignored him though. He was dressed too plainly to be important enough to talk to. Plus he was very young. The older couples distinctly ignored any of the younger guests.

Quatre's breath came out slow and steady, but he was feeling anything but calm. Suddenly the room seemed too hot and crowded. He went and sat down at a table as far away as he could from the rest of the guests. He watched the swirl of people going by, women in their extravagant clothing and men with their shoes polished and clothing stiff and formal. Occasionally a couple would walk by that looked not much older than himself. They looked at each other in youthful adoration and blushed constantly. Quatre began to feel very lonely. He walked out into the crowds of people to somehow include himself, but he still seemed lost, out of place.

"This is where I belong," he said quietly to himself. "Why then do I feel so strange here?" He took a deep breath and continued his nervous walk around the ballroom.

Iria sat stiff in her high backed chair on the raised platform. Her other sisters had long since left their seats to dance with the young men attending the ball and also Romsk. Thinking of Romsk she searched him out among the other dancers. He wasn't hard to miss. He wore a beautiful red suit with matching cape that was tailored to fit him perfectly so that it was long but not so long that it was drag on the floor. He was dancing with a girl in a yellow dress. Even though his face was masked she was sure that he would be enjoying this whole experience immensely. Unlike Romsk, Iria's face was set in a hard grim line. The past days had been especially difficult on her. Romsk had become more and more self centered and if possible more egotistical as his ball became closer and closer. Iria wasn't so sure anymore that Romsk would be right for Cailon. Her step mother then struck up a conversation with her in her high nasally voice. Iria listened quietly, but her thoughts weren't on the conversation.

The quartet ended their piece with a high reverberating note and then the players quietly set aside their instruments and turned to face the platform. The guests catching this cue all turned to face the platform as well as leaving a semi circle of space between themselves and the stage. Kuatron stood up slowly from his broad chair and beckoned Romsk closer to the platform where he had been standing awaiting the moment when he would be recognized.

The crowded quieted down but the room was still buzzing with excitement. Kuatron cleared his throat and stared down at Romsk. Romsk removed his mask and moved forward so that he was standing side by side with Kuatron. His handsome face radiated with a look of supreme victor. Iria looked down at the floor between her feet.

Clearing his throat again Kuatron began his speech, "It is my great privilege to welcome you all here to this joyous occasion today. Today is a very special day because today is the day that I announce my heir to the throne of Cailon. This has been Cailon's custom ever since my ancestors came to this island. I would now like to bestow this great honor on..."

Kuatron's voice trailed off and all the assembly turned away from him to see what had happened. Standing in front of the platform in plain sight was a young manclothed in a royal blue suit. Slowly he removed the dark mask that had concealed his face and flung it aside. Kuatron's hand flew up to his mouth. He stumbled backward and landed in his chair. Staring back at him were sea green eyes. Those assembled became deathly quiet. The position the young man had took was very significant. It meant that he challenged the naming of the heir. This had never happened in the history of Cailon before. They all stood looking at this young man who was not more than fourteen or fifteen years old.

Quatre stood staring up at his father, his eyes never leaving his face. He was trembling all over, he could feel the perspiration trickling down the back of his suit but his hands felt ice cold. Romsk looked from Kuatron down to the boy standing defiantly in front of him.

"What, what is this?" he demanded of Kuatron. His words broke through the silence like shards of glass.

Iria stood up suddenly behind Romsk. Romsk turned to look at her but her eyes were focused on the person beyond him. Quatre tore his gaze from his father and stared at Iria. She wore a look of confusion and tears were streaming down her pretty face. Quatre gave a small nod of his head and took a step forward to the platform and stopped.

"Who are you, and what do you think you are doing?" Romsk said looking just as confused as Iria.

Quatre breathed in a deep breath,"My name is Quatre Winner."

The crowd let out a gasp. Kuatron pulled himself shakily to his feet, "You, you liar! You scum! How dare you say that you are my son! My son died!"

"Yes he did die!" came Quatre's icy reply. "He died to the world, because of you."

"What are you saying?" Kuatron's face had become very red.

"I'm saying that I know exactly what you did," said Quatre trying to keep his free of emotion.

"What are you talking about? I haven't done anything..."

"How can you continue to lie to me, now of all times!" burst out Quatre. "Pertania told me everything. Everything! All I have to ask of you is why?

"I...I don't know what you are saying..."

"You know exactly what I am saying. Now I want an answer or I will tell every one here myself," was Quatre's demand.

In a deathly whisper that only Quatre heard, Kuatron replied, "Alright. You want an answer? I'll give you an answer. You took away the one person that meant more to me than life itself. You took her away!"

"You hold me responsible of that? You condemned me to live out my life locked away from sight of anyone before you even knew me? Do you know what it was like for me? To live everyday not able to go outside, to have any friends, to not really live? Do you know what it was like knowing that your father hated you so much that he wouldn't allow you ever to be seen, ever to be known to exist? No. I guess you wouldn't." Quatre finished, his voice hoarse with feeling and his body shaking so badly he had trouble standing.

The guests stood in quiet confusion trying to absorb all that Quatre had said. Iria's sob broke through. Quatre looked up at her, the anger dying out of his eyes. She stepped down from the platform and stared Quatre in the eyes, her cheeks wet with crying.

She reached out and placed a hand on Quatre's arm. Quatre reached up with his trembling hand and brushed the tears from her cheeks. Iria sobbed quietly and then placed her arms around Quatre's shoulders. Her held her gently until she had cried herself out. Quatre held her out from him. She turned to face her father.

"Iria, I want you to step away from him now. Did you here me? Get away from him!" Kuatron roared.

"No, I won't do it," she said.

"Then I will force you to! Guards take this imposter away!"

Several guards came forward and grabbed Quatre's arms. Iria was pushed roughly aside.

"Father you can't!" screamed Iria.

"I can and I have," he said curtly.

"But he's your son," she sobbed.

"I have no son. As he said, my son died fourteen years ago," he said his voice now closed to emotion.

The guards continued to pull Quatre away from the platform. The shocked and confused guests quickly made a path for the guards to come through. Quatre struggled against them, but the trained men were too strong for him.

"Father please!" he cried his voice now hoarse with emotion, "Father please don't send me away! "

Iria rushed forward trying to pry the guards off Quatre but again she was pushed aside. "Quatre, don't leave me!"

"Iria get back here now!" bellowed Kuatron. "Guards take him away! Take the murderer away!"

At his last statement Quatre lost all control of himself. The anger and sorrow he had been feeling exploded in a violent action. A blue light enveloped him and then burst forth throwing off the four men and knocking them back into the crowd with such force that they landed unconscious on the marble floor.

The crowd gave a hushed gasp and several women fainted into their husbands arms. Quatre stood trembling all over. Anger flashed in his eyes. He felt so weak that he felt he would faint as well but he managed somehow to remain standing. He turned his eyes up to Kuatron.

"Get...get out of here. _Get out you freak_!" Kuatron said in a deathly whisper that carried to the back of the hall. Quatre turned slowly and walked with as much dignity as he could to the doors of the room and exited. Iria fell to the floor and cried.


	6. Part 2: Chapter 1

Notes: OOC (out of character) for Zechs and Noin

* * *

Part 2

Chapter 1

Living in a Land of Darkness

Zechs awoke feeling stiff and sore. That wasn't surprising seeing as he had slept on the ground for several weeks. He lifted his head slowly and looked around him with sleep blurred eyes. Realizing that it was day he dropped his head back onto the solid ground. The impact jolted him awake but he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

"Wake up you," called Noin in a teasing voice. "I know you're awake." A muffled groan escaped Zechs's lips. He lifted himself onto his hands and knees and then began to brush the dirt off his face and spit it out of his mouth.

"You know, if you keep snoring like you do all you'll ever eat is dirt," Noin replied to his splutters. "Hurry and wake up. I can't stand it when you're too tired to think. It makes me feel as though I'm talking to myself."

Zechs smiled to himself. Her last comment came as somewhat of a joke to both of them because they both knew that they hardly ever talked and usually if they did talk it was Zechs who carried the conversation. He stood up briskly to show that he was indeed awake and turned toward the stream. He slid down the path that led to the water and gratefully splashed the refreshing water over his face. He scrubbed his face with his hands trying to rid himself of the layer of dust that had accumulated there over the weeks.

After he felt as though he had scrubbed the skin as well from his face he stood up from the water's edge. He looked into the rippling reflection of himself and saw a tall wiry young man looking back. Zechs thought of himself as handsome but recently the worry and fatigue he felt showed in his face making him appear older than the scant nineteen years he had under his belt. He turned from this worried reflection and scrambled back up the path to see if Noin had finished packing their meager possessions. One of Noin's comments though had brought another worry to his mind. Soon he would in fact have only dirt to eat because their food supply was desperately low. He needed to find a town to stop in. He only hoped that if they found a town that it would be friendly. An unfriendly town was worse than going hungry for a while.

He and Noin had found this out not too long ago in a small secluded town. They had arrived there in the middle of the night, tired, cold and hungry only to be confronted be the leader of the town. He was forcing all that entered his town to pass a test before they were allowed in. This test was to see if the travelers possessed "the gift" or not. This was what Zechs had been afraid of. He and Noin did not pass the test and so had to run for their lives from the townsfolk. Zechs wondered why everyone in the world seemed so crazy those days. There was hardly a town to be found that was friendly to the gifted people. Zechs sighed. They did have cause though. They were afraid. Ever since the darkness had come over most of the world Terans were in a state of utter panic. They all knew that evil was returning. Zechs looked up at the dark forbidding sky that constantly covered the sun with its swirling clouds. Why though people hated those that had before been their friends he didn't know.

Noin had finished packing their things into the travel bags they had bought in the last town they had entered. Noin looked at Zechs's cleaner appearance, nodded, and headed up the path they had been following for the past several days. Zechs grabbed up his bag and trotted after her.

The day passed quickly for the two travelers. They hiked over varied terrain stopping every few hours to catch their breath or eat some of their dwindling food supply. They walked in silence for the most part to conserve energy and also because they had to be constantly on the alert. The thunderstorms would come up suddenly without much warning and anyone out in the open would eventually be drenched in fetid rainwater that destroyed crops across the country. The lighting also was extremely dangerous because it struck without warning or pattern. Personally Zechs was terrified when the red forks of death came streaking across the sky whether he was outside or in, but he would never tell Noin this. Noin was always calm and composed.

Zechs couldn't remember a time when he had not known Noin. He supposed that it was about the time he had found out he had the gift, but that seemed like an eternity ago. Noin had always put up with those that would recoil in horror when they found that she had the gift with gracefulness and poise. Zechs envied her this. He also thought it strange that no matter what she was called or how badly she was treated because she was different, she remained calm. Zechs was different. He deeply resented being different. He resented the fact that he was an outcast for something he had no control over. For this reason he hardly ever used the gift. Noin had trouble remembering the last time he had used it. She felt that he shouldn't be so ashamed of it and hide it from everyone. True, when he did use it wasn't very strong, but at certain times it could come in handy.

Noin's mind strayed to a time when she clearly remembered him using his gift. It had been when they were younger and had just started traveling. He had been in a touchy mood all day and what had happened next pushed him over the edge. They had entered a town and had requested to stay in the small inn that was situated there. The manager had taken one look at them and kicked them out into the street. Zechs became very upset by this and went up to the closed and locked door they had just been kicked through. He turned and then suddenly there was no longer a door, only bright yellow flames. This was the most energy Zechs had ever used. He stumbled back with a very surprised expression on his face and then fainted clean away in the street.

Thinking of this memory a small smile came to Noin's face because this too had been when she had most significantly used her gift. Terrified that Zechs had been hurt somehow she rushed forward and placed her hands on his chest to see if he was still alive. She had suddenly felt very weak, but noticed that Zechs was stirring and coming out of his faint. She suspected that the weakness had come when she had felt what had ailed Zechs. She had healed cuts and scrapes before and when she healed them she would experience a fraction of the pain that had caused the wound. She thought that her gift was very strange because the few others she had met who were outcasts had power similar to that of Zechs's. She had not known at the time that she possessed a very different sort of gift, one that had not been seen in someone for almost one hundred years; the gift of instant healing. It was only a woman who had this and it was the most rare form of the gift next to the deadly power held by the evil sorcerers that held their world captive and the one that would set it free, the holder of Isis.

Noin stopped suddenly from the brisk pace she had set and stared up into the sky. Zechs looked up too. A small shudder passed through his body. Now was not the time for a storm to come up. They had to reach a town and they didn't have time to wait out a storm. The roiling black clouds stayed the same though and the storm didn't come. Zechs let out a sigh of relief. It was hard to tell when a storm was coming until it was almost too late to find shelter. One could always tell when a storm had come though because the red lightning would start flickering out from the sky to touch down on ground, lighting fires and wiping out areas of the already desolated land. Then the rain would come, but the rain wasn't cooling or refreshing. It would only intensify the fires and kill everything else that the fire hadn't ravaged. The only way to survive such a storm was to find shelter. Zechs feared that they were still miles away from such safety and night was already starting. They would have to sleep outside again and post watch to keep a lookout for the storms.

They found a small clearing off to the side of the path and set down their light packs. Noin set out their cooking utensils and Zechs trooped off through the high grass that surrounded their camp to find wood for the fire. He returned shortly with an armload of dry wood and set it down be the small pit Noin and dug. Methodically she piled the wood into the fire pit and started a fire with her flint and belt knife. Zechs sat down and stared into the hypnotic flames. Noin then removed the last of their food from her bag and set in by the fire to warm it.

After they had eaten their meager meal Zechs scooted over to Noin's side. It was as he looked at her in the light of the fire that she seemed so mysterious. The firelight flickered over her olive-skinned face. Zechs looked over and saw Noin smiling. She had a faraway look in her eyes. He reached out and held her hand. She looked at him a bit surprised but then gave him a warm smile and squeezed his hand. She turned to him then as if she wanted to say something, but instead looked up at the ugly cloud darkened sky. Zechs put an arm around her bare shoulders and looked up into the depressing night, glad that he at least had someone to share his darkened life with.


	7. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Out of the Cold at Last

Zechs shivered in the predawn darkness. He looked over and saw the still form of Noin, asleep. A tender smile crossed Zechs's face. It had been a good night because no storms had come. He was glad that Noin finally had a chance to sleep. She had been as worried as him, even though she didn't let it show. Zechs pulled out a map he had borrowed from another traveler some way back and tried to figure out where they were. He traced the path they had been following with his finger and found the place where they had camped the night before by the stream. He estimated that they had come about fourteen miles yesterday. The map was old and so worn that he couldn't tell if the dot on the page farther up the trail was a town or simply a smudge. He folded it again and tossed it into his now empty bag.

His rustling about had awakened Noin. She at up and pushed her hair back from her face. Zechs turned and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said softly.

"Well I'm up now, so we might as well get going," she replied disregarding Zechs's attempt to keep the morning air quiet.

She rubbed her arms briskly to warm them and the smoldered the remains of the fire. Zechs wrapped up their sleeping rolls and shouldered his bag. Noin did likewise and soon the two were off again. Zechs felt cheerful and hoped that this feeling was caused by the aspect of reaching a town that night. He told himself over and over that the dot had to be a town. It just had to be! He sped up his pace as if to see if his hunch was right and soon left Noin several yards behind. Seeing her struggling to keep up with his long strides, Zechs slowed his pace. After an hour of this hard pace they both stopped to take a break.

Noin didn't ask about why Zechs had been in such a hurry so he explained. "I think we may be nearing a town. There is something up ahead according to the map. We need to stop in a town soon or we'll have to go hungry." Zechs realized that of course Noin knew this. His chatter was just a reassurance to himself. "While we're there we might even get to sleep on a bed instead of the ground," he continued. "I personally am tired of being out in the open."

Zechs blushed when he realized that he had betrayed his fear of the storms by the wistfulness in his voice. He was grateful for once for his dirt and weather darkened face because Noin hadn't seen him blush, or at least she didn't let on. She also didn't say anything about his wish for being out of the open. She simply stood up as a signal that they should continue walking. Zechs was heartily glad that Noin was that way. She never said anything that would embarrass him.

After several hungry hours of hard trekking Zechs's acute anxiety was wiped away by the sight of the small town slumped in a valley of rolling hills. The valley would have been beautiful had it not been almost destroyed by the acid rain. Zechs let out a whistling sigh. In his relief he almost ran toward the town, but instead chose a more dignified pace. Noin followed him down keeping her usual cool about her but undoubtedly just as excited as reaching civilization as he was.

They entered the town cautiously, but when no one stopped them they continued down the dirt covered main street. In fact there was no one outside at all. The town seemed totally empty of life. After walking for a little longer, growing more and more uneasy, they came to a building that had a sign in front of it that said in faded letters: INN. Zechs approached the door and rapped loudly on it with his knuckles. For a time there was silence but then the door was yanked open from the inside. An elderly woman stood framed in the door. She scowled at Zechs but then looked past him at Noin. The scowl faded from her pinched lips as she looked at the younger woman. Then she beckoned the two travelers inside with a sharp waving motion of her hand.

After they were both inside she turned and had them sit down on a dusty sofa in the small room off to the side of the entryway. She sat as well but didn't say anything. Feeling more uncomfortable inside than he had felt out Zechs cleared his throat and tried to introduce himself, but their host silenced him and pointed to Noin. "Not you, young man. Now, pretty lady, who are you?"

"My name is Noin and this is Zechs," Noin replied in her silvery voice. "We are travelers seeking hospitality."

"Travelers, yes I suppose you must be being what you are," said the older woman, but she said it an unoffending tone.

Zechs was still peeked though. He couldn't figure out how everyone but those who had the gift could tell that they had it. He looked at himself self-consciously to see if it was something visible, like a giant sign painted on his musty tunic. He saw nothing different though and looked up at the old women. He was surprised to see her watching him and smiling.

"It's nothing on you silly," she said quietly. "It's just a feeling we get."

Zechs stared at her in open mouthed shock. He hadn't been that obvious, had he? Then again, Noin had always somehow been able to guess what he was thinking. He must just be a very obvious person he thought.

"I can understand where you are coming from though, and you'll be happy to know that I gladly allow people like yourselves to stay at my inn," continued the silver haired lady. "I understand how hard it is for you, and I know that it isn't your fault. In fact, I find you two very interesting. Especially you, young lady."

Noin stiffened in her chair but her reply was calm, "Why exactly do you find me 'interesting'?"

"Because you are different than the rest. Your gift is different. You realized that didn't you? It was this unique quality that made me interested in you. It was a special kind of gift that I have not seen for a long time. This is true, isn't it?"

Noin stared at her levelly, her violet eyes not betraying her confused thoughts. Behind those cool eyes were thoughts that followed along the path that Zechs's had taken. How did she know?

"You are wondering why or how I know this? It is because my great grandmother was one of the few in her time that possessed a gift such as yours. Now in your time, it is very rare to have the gift because most of those who have it are being shunned and killed. This makes me sad. I sympathize with you people, but I tell you that what you have is very important. So never let it go."

She lapsed into silence and closed her eyes as if to see a time that happened long ago. Both Noin and Zechs were surprised by what they had both heard, but they sat silently not questioning their host any further. Eventually she lifted her old tired head and beckoned them forward. They were led to a small room off to the side of the larger room. At first glance the room was very bare except for an old bed in the center of the room. As Zechs and Noin looked closer though they could distinguish shapes in the faded wallpaper. These shapes portrayed a beautiful scene of what Noin and Zechs knew to be many others of their kind dancing around the flames of an open fire. How they knew that the people were like them, they didn't know but suddenly the room seemed friendlier and they knew that they could rest easier than they had in a while. The door closed behind them and they gratefully climbed into the rickety bed and fell instantly asleep.

Loud shouting from the street awoke them early in the morning. Zechs sleepily pulled himself from the surprisingly comfortable bed and poked his head out the window. The window was on the side of the house and looked out over the edge of the town and the small main street. He noticed as several men, obviously drunk staggered past heading for the downtown. They were shouting recklessly and swearing at the top of their lungs. Presently, one stooped over and took up a rock from the road. He threw it hard at the building across the street, breaking a window. His companions chuckled and staggered around looking for rocks so that they could join in on the fun. Disgusted, Zechs slammed the window and turned towards the bed to wake Noin. She was already awake though and standing by his side. She made no movements or sounds but she was just as disgusted. Noin's attitude, though seemingly disapproving, was tinged with amusement, or was it curiosity? Zechs could never tell with her.

A soft knock came at their door then. Zechs opened and saw the old woman standing there holding a tray of food for them.

"Here, I thought you two might be hungry," she then saw Noin staring out the shut window. "I'm sorry about that. I had hoped they wouldn't wake you."

"You know them?" asked Zechs, his gaze turning also turning to the retreating figures.

"Not personally. They come every once in a while to mess up the town. There isn't much they can do though because the town is so worn down and battered that no one really cares." she replied.

"Aren't people afraid that they might hurt someone though?" questioned Zechs.

"No, but then I suppose that's because I'm the only one who lives here anymore. Those people out there come in from the farms around the town to loot abandoned homes and destroy things for fun. It's a sad world we live in now..." she muttered and shook her head sadly. She exited the room and shut the door behind her.

Zechs's eyes were big as he turned to Noin, "That woman scares me. What kind of person lives by themselves in a deserted town?" He asked in a whisper.

"I think she's sweet. It's nice of her to let us stay here. She's probably just lonely," came Noin's quiet reply.

Zechs just shrugged and sat down on the bed with their food.

The rest of the day was spent simply relaxing in the hospitality of their host. She regaled them with times long since past and made them feel completely at home. Even Zechs overcame his feeling of unease. They then answered the questions asked them about their travels. Zechs did much of the talking leaving Noin to her usual quietness.

Time passed quickly in the small house that day and before they knew it night had settled in around them. Zechs and Noin retired to their small room with deep contentment. For the first time in a while they felt safe and happy.

Zechs was awakened later by Noin's persistent nudges. Noticing the distress in her attitude he came fully awake and pulled on his traveling clothes. He was then drawn to the window with a bright flash outside. He lifted the window and looked out. He slammed it again quickly and turned ashen faced towards Noin.

"Storm?" she asked more a statement than a question.

Zechs nodded slowly. They were both hurled to the floor when a huge blast of lighting struck very close by. They gathered their things and stood as close to the window as they dared so that they could see what was happening. They didn't have long to wait before they figured out that the old wood building next to them had caught fire. The blaze spread and soon reached the inn. Grabbing their things they bolted out the door.

Almost immediately the inn filled with smoke. They crept low to the floor and shielded their mouths with their shirts to block out the suffocating smoke. They had almost reached the door when Noin grabbed frantically at the back of Zechs's shirt. He realized what she was doing and turned to see the old woman looking sorrowfully out the window, apparently unaware of the fire inside the house. She turned slowly and looked at the two crouched by the door. She smiled slowly and then turned from the window and headed toward the back of the house and the flames. Noin scrambled up and tried to follow, but Zechs jerked her roughly back to the floor and pulled her through the front door.


	8. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Into the Fire

Noin gasped as the tendrils of putrid smoke enveloped her and threatened to choke her past comprehension. Her mind was cleared for an instant though by realization of a strong force dragging her over the ancient dirt road and toward fresher, cleaner air. She cried out sharply when she tripped and felt the gravel tear through the skin on her leg. She was back up and running crouched over in seconds though. She tried to forget the feeling of the blood streaming down her leg and focused on the strong back of Zechs plowing a path through the never ending smoke and fire.

Behind them came the sounds of hysterical screaming and cursing. Zechs turned briefly to look and saw the men that had entered the town that morning. He could only assume that was them because they were so covered in black ashes. Suddenly one fell and screamed as he looked over his shoulder. In another second he was gone; consumed by the fast approaching flames of that deadly fire. Zechs lost no more time then and resumed running with Noin trailing behind. Their flight this time was much more disorganized. It was more of the crazed frantic flight of an animal trying to outrun an enemy that its instincts told it was faster and craftier than it.

They continued on through the town with only the thought of escape in their minds.

Presently Noin realized that she could breath easier and the thick choking smoke had cleared. Zechs slowed to a walk and coughed several times to try to clear his lungs so that they could work properly again. The exhausted pair went a little farther before collapsing on side of the path that had led them out of town. They looked back to see the town disappear in flames. Noin reached a hand up to her cheek and brushed away the tears that she found there. Zechs looked over and then held her close to him. Feeling like a small child in the comfort of a grown up, Noin moved closer to Zechs and leaned up against his strong shoulder. Her tears fell onto the fabric of his shirt.

What seemed like minutes later, Noin awoke to Zechs calling her name. She felt stiff and sore, but on the inside she felt empty and drained.

"The fire flared back up a bit," he informed her, "so we need to keep moving. The fire has already caught onto the grass in the fields. There's no telling how long it will be until it reaches us." Noin nodded and wearily rose to her feet. Zechs took her hand in his and together they left the burnt out frame that had once been a town.

Zechs felt an empty ache throughout his entire body. He was very tired, and not just physically. It had seemed that at last they could rest for a while in safety and comfort. The darkness though had taken it away. The darkness had taken away everything from them. Zechs ground his teeth together in frustration. He looked behind him to see a soot streaked and almost unconscious Noin following behind. Realizing that they needed to rest, he pulled her off the trail and laid her down under the branches of an oak tree. She seemed to fall have fallen asleep instantly, so he was glad they had stopped. He looked around at the place they had been led to by the path. They were out on an empty grassland that was dotted here and there by groupings of trees such as the one they were in now. The tall grass swayed gently in the breeze. The solitude and loneliness of the area disturbed Zechs until he knew he could no longer simply stare at it. He got up and began to walk around always keeping one eye on Noin.

After several minutes Zechs found himself next to a tiny creek. He stooped over and brought a handful of water up to his parched lips. It was rancid water and he spit it out quickly. He sat down, dispirited, and let out a heavy sigh. Looking past the creek he saw patches of burnt land where the storms had killed all life. As he looked around him, Zechs realized that this world was without color anymore. The storms had ruined so much that any color left had been turned into the dreary colors of gray, white and black. Zechs buried his head in his hands and longed for a world as it had been.

Noin came to a while after they had stopped to rest. She looked over at Zechs who was staring bleakly into space. She stood up awkwardly and gasped as she put pressure on her scraped leg. Zechs turned his head and seeing that Noin was hurt came to her side.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his eyes showing true concern.

Noin looked back at him and smiled warmly. A strange look then passed over her face and she sat down quickly on the ground. Zechs knelt down and started to tear off some material from his jacket to bind the deep scratches, but Noin stayed his hand. Noin then did something that she had not done for a long time. She reached down and pulled up the tattered remnants of her pants. She then looked at the wound and brushed off the dirt that had accumulated there. Then she placed her hand gently on the wound and concentrated on a power she knew lay within her. She felt a sharp stab of pain up her arm that reached her back and traveled down her spine. A minute later though it was gone. She removed her hand and looked down to see the skin totally healed. Zechs was looking at her with an expression of disbelief and disgust.

"Zechs," she called gently. "That old woman was right."

"About what?" he asked gruffly.

"About our gifts. We shouldn't hide them. They make up who we are, and to hide them forever would be like hiding some of our emotions. Not only would it be difficult, but also painful to ourselves. Don't you see? We are already outcasts because of our gifts, so why do we need to hide them?"

Zechs looked at her briefly, but turned away from her questioning stare, "I...I don't know how to use my gift," he said hesitantly. "I know that your gift can help people because you can take their pain, but what can mine do? How can it help?"

Noin looked at him and in knew the truth in his words. "I don't know what you can do Zechs, but you will find out soon. I can feel it. We were all given these gifts for a reason. All I know is that now is not the time to hide them. Now is the time to show people that even though we are different, we do not hate normal people and that we want to help them."

Zechs's face was immobile but he met her gaze and held it. He sighed heavily and then smiled at her. "I hadn't wanted to admit this, not even to myself, but I always felt that a part of me was missing. A part of my life. Maybe you're right. Maybe we shouldn't be afraid anymore. After all, it is who we are, right?"

Noin smiled and grabbed Zechs's outstretched hand. He pulled her to her feet and she fell against his warm body. He pulled her close to him and kissed her soundly. She didn't push him away, but lingered in his grasp. They both realized then that what they had been saying was the absolute truth. Both made a solemn vow that they would stay true to their word and would hide no longer.


	9. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Using Their Gifts

Zechs sighed with frustration. He sat down on the dry grass and looked over at Noin who was fairing much better than he.

"I don't get it! This is the fourth time I've tried and nothing I do makes a difference. This is hopeless!" Zechs complained.

"It's also the fourth time you've whined at me today. I tell you again, you're concentrating too hard, you just need to relax," Noin replied with her usual calm self.

"I've tried doing that!" Zechs said disgusted, "At this rate I shouldn't have needed to hide my gift, because I don't even know what I'm to do when I want to use it. Do yours again, and maybe I'll understand."

Noin just laughed softly at him. "It doesn't exactly work like that Zechs. I have to have something to use my gift on."

"Hey! Maybe that's it! Maybe I have to really want to use it on something."

"Well, it's a start," said Noin as she wandered off through the rustling grass.

That night, Zechs slumped down onto his sleeping roll. He was so tired that he could hardly keep his head up to stare into the open flames of the fire. Much as he tried, Zechs had been unsuccessful in every attempt that day in summoning forth his "power." He began to think that after a time, the gift would just fade away because it hadn't been used enough. He realized that if that were really true he would be very sad. In a way he liked being different, and being able to do something that not many others could. Now he only wished that he had something to show for it. His mind then wandered to a time when he had still been living at home and using his gift had been a part of his everyday life. He tried to think of why it had been so easy, but for some reason his memory of the past had been dimmed. He berated himself on not wanting to remember his past ever after he had met Noin. Then he reasoned with himself that Noin wouldn't be able to use her gift either if it was just a matter a long delayed use. Zechs's mind began to fog over with sleep until it was too much of an effort to keep on thinking about it.

Noin awoke to an odd prickling sensation on the back of her neck. The kind one gets when knowing that they are being watched. She opened her eyes slowly and almost cried out when she saw the shadows of three figures bending over her. She shut her eyes and tried to stay calm. A second later she was jerked into full consciousness when one of the beings grabbed her and roughly stood her upright.

"Get over there!" he growled and shoved her to the other two men who grabbed her arms and bound them tightly behind her back. Then Zechs too was hoisted up and tied before his sleepy mind could comprehend what was happening. He snapped wide awake though when he realized what was going on. They then were sat roughly on the ground as the thugs ripped open their meager supplies. When they moved closer to the dying embers of the fire Noin recognized their faces. They were the same men that had been in the deserted town, who had run from the deadly fire. They now sat about grabbing food and stuffing their faces. The small cache of food that Zechs and Noin had was soon gone however, and the men's apatite was clearly not sated. They rummaged through the destroyed packs searching for more, but found none. They then fell into a rage, cursing each other and their captives.

After a few tense minutes they settled by the fire with their backs to the travelers. Zechs and Noin waited until the flames had died down enough so that they were cast in complete shadow.

From a cleverly concealed pocket Zechs slowly pulled a small dagger, only about four inches long. Discreetly he began to cut the ropes that held him. It was stout cord however and the process was painstakingly slow. Noin meanwhile had wedged herself in front of Zechs's tied hands to give him added covering lest their captors caught on to what it was they were doing.

Zechs heard the slight pop as the tight rope was severed. He wiggled his fingers experimentally to try and bring back circulation. He then passed the knife to Noin who likewise cut her bonds. The men hadn't noticed anything, and by then were almost asleep from the warmth of the fire. One man was propped on a small outcrop of rocks and snoring quietly. One of the others had also fallen completely asleep, curled up like a dog at the feet of the third man. His back was toward them however, and Zechs couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep. He decided to risk it though and try to make a run for it. He signaled this plan to Noin and she nodded her head in understanding.

Zechs leapt up and hit the still sitting man on the back of the head with a piece of the brittle firewood. The stick snapped with a resounding crack, but the man fell forward, unconscious. The noise however had awakened the other two. They sprang up, and seeing their fallen companion, charged the defenseless Zechs and Noin. One man drew a long broadsword and swung it through the air, aiming for Zechs's head. The other had a hatchet and advanced menacingly towards Noin.

Zechs grabbed another log by the fireside and blocked the swinging sword. His opponent however was inexperienced and clumsy in handling the large sword. Zechs took advantage of this and rushed in, hitting the man in the chest and head after every miss of the blade. The man's chest heaved with the exertion of wielding the blade, and was soon weakening to the younger, faster Zechs. With a final charge the bandit rushed Zechs, sword pointed at his chest. Zechs easily sided stepped the attack and whacked the man soundly on the back of the head. He fell forward like a fallen oak into the fire.

Noin however was not fairing as well. Her man was an experienced fighter, and had backed her up the edge of the stagnant stream that Zechs had found earlier. The man had a wicked smile curved on his features, and licked his parched lips in anticipation of the kill. Suddenly he heard a sound from behind a wheeled around only to confronted by Zechs holding the broadsword. The two opponents attacked each other and blade met blade with a shattering clang. Zechs's hands stung with the vibrations of the hit. His opponent however seemed totally unphased and continued his relentless assault. Zechs soon found himself on the losing side as the more experienced man gained more ground. Zechs was soon pushed back to the camp. Still concentrating on the swinging hatchet, he stumbled over the inert body of one of the other men. He tried to stay upright, but fell backward. The sword fell from his grasp and skittered across the dirt. Zechs felt the wind knocked out of him and stared up at the approaching killer. With a sneer, the man raised the hatchet to deliver the killing blow.

Noin watched in dumb horror as Zechs fell to the ground. She ran forward through the dead grass, but saw that it was already too late. The man had raised the hatchet. It came whistling down towards Zechs.

Suddenly the man's clothing burst into bright yellow flame. He was thrown violently backward. He rolled on the ground trying to extinguish the flames, but that only seemed to make things worse. The flames leapt higher, and Noin smelled the stench of burning flesh. The man writhed in pain and then with a last shuddering movement, died. The flames still licked over his body until they at last died out. Noin then noticed Zechs standing to the side. His eyes mirrored the pale yellow light. His face was calm and almost impassive. He looked, almost like he had enjoyed it. Noin let out a small cry, and Zechs turned and saw her. She ran forward, and collapsed sobbing into his arms.

Zechs carried Noin's sleeping form for as long as his arms could hold out. He then set her by the road in a patch of soft grass. He sat down as well and reflected on the night's events. Pale light streamed across the wasteland, brought on by the coming day. Unwanted tears rolled down Zechs's face. He quickly wiped them with the back of and hand and closed his tired eyes. All that he saw however was the body of the burning man. He had done that. He had killed that man. Then he saw Noin's shocked face, frozen with horror, and a wave of shame came over him.

The sun was already halfway up, but that could be seen was the dead grass, the dead trees and the cloud covered sky. Zechs looked up towards the darkened sky and saw his life, his world, his soul, in the bleak colors of black and white.


	10. Part 3: Chapter 1

Notes: Relena's parents are also OC and Relena and Zechs are not related

* * *

Part 3

Chapter 1

The Disobedient Princess

Relena's feet slapped the cold stone of the crumbling castle as she ran down its dark corridors. Every few yards she looked behind her with fear in her eyes. She sighed with relief when she finally approached the huge oak doors that separated her from the courtyard and freedom. She lifted the heavy crossbar on the door and violently shoved open the resisting double doors.

Relena ran then like she had never run before. She flew across the lowered drawbridge and out onto the open plains of the countryside that bordered the immense castle. She sprinted the open distance of fields until reaching the dark forest beyond. Once reaching the dense trees, Relena stopped to regain her breath. She stood up and looked behind her. Seeing no one behind her, she smiled with relief. She had made it. No one would stop her this time. Jymon would never catch her again.

The young girl continued on her way with a less strenuous pace, jogging between the bushes and giant trees. After a half hour she stopped to rest on a small rotting log, fallen by a previous storm. She wiped her sweaty face and inhaled a deep breath of clean air. She felt glad to be so alive, and so free. She thought back on the few hours before. The castle that her parents were so foolishly proud of, but smelled rotten and dank to Relena, the cold stares she receive at breakfast from the servants, and the chilling glare of the court sorcerer, Jymon. This last memory caused a shiver to creep of her spine. That's what she had hated most, that piercing stare of his that seemed to follow her wherever she went.

Her thoughts turned back to the forest again, and she looked around and the beautiful foliage surrounding her. She walked on a bit farther, inspecting the plants and humming a little tune to herself. After a while she began to skip along the path, feeling free and full of life. She was so caught up in this new sense of freedom that she almost didn't here the distant pounding of hooves on the ground. When she did here it, it was almost too late. At the last minute she flung herself off the path and into the shrubbery. Three black steeds came thundering past covered with the castle's insignia. Their three riders were strong knights, some of the best Relena knew. They had no doubt been hired by her father to bring her back at all costs. Relena shrank with fear. Three fully grown, professional knights were hunting her. They would find her, she was certain of that. She could not run from them forever.

After she was sure that the knights were a fair distance ahead of her, Relena took off through the woods, away from the main path and the direction the knights had taken. She ran in panic for several minutes until the blood rushed in her ears and she stumbled to the earth, gasping for breath. Her face was flushed and the muscles in her legs seemed to not want to work properly. They shot waves of pain through her whole body. Relena hauled herself to her feet though, reluctant to give in so easily. Castle life had made her soft, but she would continue on no matter what. She pushed back the honey-blonde wisps of hair that had come out of the tight braid from her face and impatiently tucked in behind her ears. After several more disheartening moments of wandering, probably lost she thought, through the dense forest a new sound greeted her ears. She looked around her, turning in a wide circle, but saw nothing but the trees. She walked on a few more steps and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She stopped and whirled around quickly. The sight that greeted her startled blue eyes was that of the sorcerer Jymon. His vacant eyes stared into hers and his colorless lips were parted slightly, showing the black gaping void beyond his teeth. Relena screamed and ran, not caring where she was headed or what lay before her.

She ran until she overcame that feeling of unease caused by the sorcerer. She jogged in short spurts not daring to look behind her for fear of those hauntingly empty eyes. It wasn't until she stumbled and looked down that she realized that she had found the path again and was running along it. Ahead, she could hear the sound of rushing water over slime covered rocks. When she came out of the trees she found herself on the edge of a small brook. Across the brook was a wide wooden bridge, wide enough for a cart to pass on. She then realized that this was the main bridge used in the crossing of traffic into her father's kingdom. In the late afternoon though, no one was on the path or bridge. She looked behind her and then darted forward over the smooth wooden planks. She had reached the middle when suddenly like some phantom nightmare a black knight stepped boldly onto the other edge of the bridge, blocking her way. She had forgotten about the knights! She whirled around to see that the other edge was guarded as well by a fearsome man. The two then started forward to try and trap her in the middle. Without thought however, Relena bolted to the railing and in one graceful motion vaulted the mold covered beam and fell into the stream.

The stream was deeper than it had appeared from the surface. When she resurfaced, Relena found herself staring into the impassive eyes of the third knight. He hauled her roughly by the arms back onto the bridge and then yanked her shivering body into standing. Relena felt as though her arms had been pulled from their sockets and the knight was cutting off the circulation to her hands with the tight grip he had on her. She knew it was useless to struggle, and the cold water had taken the last of her already faded energy. She stood for a while, dripping in the dappled light and shadows cast by the trees overhead, not knowing why she wasn't being taken back to the castle. Finally her answer came.

Jymon appeared in his usual eerie self. His lips were curved in an evil snarl and his eyes positively burned with an unholy fire. Relena began shaking uncontrollably, either from the cold or fear or both. He came forward until his greasy forehead was just inches from the girl's. His putrid breath filled her nostrils.

He laughed then, a low menacing laugh and turned his back to her. "Take the princess back home if you would be so kind." His voice flowed like oil over dark waves, oil that Relena knew could be ignited at any moment if given the proper flame.

Relena was led back to the castle on the back of one of the mighty steeds. The workers in the fields stopped to stare at the procession, and Relena defiantly stuck out her chin, every inch the disobedient princess. The knight helped her dismount and then the three warriors left for the stables. Jymon grabbed Relena's arm and painfully twisted it behind her. He then led her back into the dreary castle. Relena knew that if it killed her, she would escape again and never be taken back.


	11. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Life of a Prisoner

Relena stood with head bowed before her parents. The regal couple looked down on their only daughter with frosty glares. The king and queen of that land were known to be fair, but extremely strict. After several minutes of dead silence Jymon came forward and whispered into the king's ear. He nodded and then waved Jymon away with a flick of his wrist.

"Relena, you have been very disobedient," he said slowly, without any trace of emotion."For that you will have to be punished. You know it is against my laws for you to ever leave this kingdom, except by marriage. Is that what this is all about? Do you want me to find you a husband? Why, you are barely fifteen! Why do you try my patience? Is it amusing to you, to have me waste my time talking to you like this?"

Relena shook her head slowly, carefully keeping her eyes on the floor.

Relena's father sighed heavily,"Guards, please take her to her room and make sure she stays there this time."

Relena was led out of the throne room and up the steep passageway to her room. Once there she walked inside and heard the door slam behind her and the key grate in the lock. She threw herself on her bed and beat the soft blankets with her fists. Hot tears of rage poured down her face and she silently cursed every person she could think of, using the foulest language she had heard from the stable boys.

After an hour of moping around her room, Relena finally decided that she was tired of feeling sorry for herself. She decided to get busy with her next plans of escape. This time, she told herself, she would have to be very clever about it.

After an hour of pacing, lost in deep thought, Relena turned at the sound of her room being opened. In walked her nurse, a very plump and dreary woman. In her hands was a tray a steaming food. Relena fought back the urge to lick her lips. She did feel so terribly hungry. She looked out the small barred window and realized that it was well after supper time and many hours since she had eaten. The nurse muttered to herself, obviously in a foul temper as usual.

Relena watched the old woman's actions and occasionally caught the stray phrase, "Disobedient wretch...going to get us both kicked out.....his majesty...not pleased."

The aged nurse then ambled out the door, still muttering to herself. Relena fell on the food like a ravenous pack of dogs. She was so hungry that she didn't seem to mind the vegetables that would normally provoke a disapproving grimace from her.

After eating, Relena called in her chamber maids to prepare her for bed. Several minutes went by before Relena realized her chamber maids weren't coming. She swore softly to herself and then began undressing herself. This had happened before she realized. It was as if suddenly her servants would decide that they didn't want to help a princess anymore. It was most certainly her father's idea. That was just fine with her, she would prove to them that she could do whatever she wanted by herself.

After undressing she pulled on her silken nightwear and then realized that something was missing. She looked down at herself knowing that she had dressed correctly, but something was wrong. Suddenly her hand flew to her chest. The necklace! Somehow she must have dropped it! Relena sat numbly down on her bed. How could she have lost it? The necklace was without question the most valuable thing to her. She had received it at birth from her grandmother. It was the only thing that Relena had from the kindly woman that was her only friend until she had suddenly taken ill two years ago. Relena began to sob quietly, not the kind that had made her quake with rage before, but a hopeless and truly heartfelt cry.

For several minutes Relena wept and silently kicked herself. For the life of her she couldn't remember what had become of the precious necklace. She couldn't remember dropping it in her mad flight. In fact she distinctly remembered feeling its comforting smoothness against her body as she was hauled out of the stream. Then the thought struck her: Jymon. It made perfect sense. Jymon had always had a special attraction to the necklace. The small black stone that was strung on it had always fascinated him. Relena's grandmother had specifically warned her before she died to keep Jymon from ever getting that stone. Relena wasn't quite sure why he shouldn't have it but she had tried to never let it fall into his hands. Now that's exactly where it was, she was sure of it. Relena cursed herself again and fell to more weeping.

When Relena awoke it was dawn and soft golden rays of light were shining through the vertical slit that was her window. Relena pushed herself up slowly and cleared her sleep blurred eyes. She jumped out of bed and immediately regretted it. The stone floor of the castle was as cold as ice. Relena found her slippers by the bed and did a mad hopping dance around the floor of her room trying to place them on her feet without sitting down. With that feat accomplished, Relena tried the heavy wooden door. It was locked. Relena moaned softly and put her eye to the key hole. All she could see however was darkness.

Then Relena remembered something. The sheer simplicity of it made her fall into hysterical giggles. Relena gently placed her hands over the door and closed her eyes. When she opened them the door gave a slight click and sprung open. Relena sat down slowly and fought back the usual wave of nausea. After it had passed, Relena climbed to her feet and out into freedom.

Every time after using her gift Relena was always filled with a sick feeling that would soon be replaced with a high floaty feeling. Relena giggled again as the feeling rushed through her body. She pranced about the hallway outside her bedroom before the effect had worn off. She stopped then and scowled at the silly display she had just put on. She hoped no one else had seen it.

Relena quickly formulated her plan of action. The first step would be to find the necklace. Then she would have to leave before Jymon found out it was gone. Relena had no doubt in her mind that it was Jymon who had taken it. The girl decided that it would be a good idea to plan out every action she would take, unlike the last time when she had been caught too quickly. She smiled a wicked smile in anticipation of her father's reaction. They would not ever catch her this time. In fact they might not even notice I'm gone until my nurse comes to deliver the poor prisoner her daily scrap of bread, she thought maliciously.

Relena ran into her room then and slammed the door shut. The first thing she decided was to become an actress for a while and pretend to be the most wonderful daughter a couple could ask for. Then when they weren't looking, poof! She'd be gone. Relena smiled again and sat down on the edge of her bed to plan her escape.

Relena's father was the king of land composed primarily of one long valley which was blocked off at both ends by one continuous river. The very same river that Relena had been pulled from. The valley consisted of flat plains and grassland for farming and was bordered along the cliff walls by scrubby forest.

This king had been the leader for a very long time, the current ruler of a very long line of successors. His wife was married to him at the age of sixteen because it was an arranged marriage and their parents felt no use in waiting any longer.

These two majestic people were very happy and kind rulers but their upbringing had taught them to only have total obedience. Relena seemed to have very different views than her father and mother. It was not that Relena's parents didn't love her but simply that Relena was a rebellious teenager trapped in a place where rebellion wasn't tolerated. Her father and mother had tried in vain to calm their adventurous daughter and so would weekly send her out with her royal train to see the sights and to get her out of their hair.

It was on such an excursion that Relena came up with the perfect plan of escape. While there was no possible way she could run when on such a trip because they guarded her too carefully, she was able to see the perfect place to hide. It was an opening in the cliffs that formed the valley around her father's kingdom. The opening was narrow and cramped but Relena was sure that she would be able to fit through it. Beyond the cliffs she knew was the river and past that was freedom. It was the perfect place because the opening was hidden behind two immense boulders that had fallen from the top of the cliffs. If she could climb those boulders, then Relena would be free. She wouldn't make the same mistake of trying to cross the main bridge.

After returning home, Relena told her parents that she was feeling a bit tired of tramping around the kingdom all day and asked politely to be excused. Her father agreed and sent her to her room. Once there, Relena began mapping out her escape route. The plan was fairly simple. All she had to do was make it out of the castle and then run to the crevice in the valley walls. She would then swim the river and that would be it. She would finally be free. She knew she could never try the bridge again because there would be too great a risk of being seen by some passer by. The hard part would be trying to find her necklace again. Relena solemnly vowed that she would not leave the castle without it.

Relena spent several minutes in deep thought trying to figure out where Jymon had put her necklace. It was quite a problem because no one knew where Jymon lived in the castle except the king. When Relena was little she had spent many hours exploring the dark passages of the castle looking for his secret dwelling, but always in vain. Jymon wasn't the court magician for nothing. Relena decided that the only way she would ever find out would be to ask her father. He was much too upset at her however to answer anything, so she would just have to wait it out and continue pretending to be the perfect daughter to gain his confidence again.

For several weeks Relena made no attempt to escape. She was also so spotlessly perfect that if her parents had ever paid much attention to her they would have seen at once that something wasn't right. Relena's parents however were too busy to notice this sudden change except to note that Relena was finally acting like a true princess.

Within a month her parents were smiling at her and the servants treated her with respect. Relena was in misery. She hated this new part of the perfect daughter and so longed even more for freedom. Freedom seemed a long way off though because Relena still had no idea where Jymon's quarters were. It wasn't until after almost two months of perfect behavior that Relena finally saw her chance.


	12. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Necklace

Relena spent many hours around the kitchens and servants, always the cheerful girl willing to lend a hand. She soon noticed that one servant girl was always in charge of bringing meals to Jymon when he was too busy to eat with the rest of the castle dwellers. She soon learned that the girl would leave every evening at seven to deliver the meal, and would always return promptly after a half an hour.

One day Relena worked up the nerve to go with the servant. Noticing that the girl had more than enough to carry, Relena offered her a hand. The girl gladly accepted and the two started off to Jymon's residence. The young servant babbled on and on and Relena had trouble keeping track of which turn they took and which passage they were entering. She felt confident enough however to be able to find her way back again.

After several minutes of seeming directionless wandering through the castle's dank halls the two came to a small wall hanging. The girl carefully balanced the tray of food against the wall with one hand, and with the other flipped a switch behind the tapestry. On the other side of the hall a door slowly grated open. The girl told Relena to wait in the passageway while she took the food in. Relena waited obediently then left with the girl to travel back to the kitchens. Relena had trouble not grinning with wicked delight. She had found it!

Before Relena could retrieve her necklace though, she had to prepare for her escape. Hanging around the kitchens all day had given her all the food supply she would need for several days. Each day she would slip bits of preserved food into her pockets and then deposit it in her room under her bed when she had the chance. Relena decided that she would also need some sort of weapon. This she took from the kitchens as well. It was a dull knife that she had noticed gathering dust under the table. Relena quickly confiscated it as well and spent her nights sharpening it on the rough stones of her bedroom wall. Clothing wasn't a problem because as a princess Relena had all of the garments she needed. The problem was that she couldn't decide which piece of clothing she would take with her. She had many beautiful dresses that were very dear to her. In the end she decided on the cotton dress and leather cape that she wore when on her "adventures."

After a week of gathering these necessary items, Relena finally turned her attention to the necklace. Relena thought about the necklace almost every day and found herself feeling incomplete without its weight around her neck. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get it before she was completely ready to go. She didn't want Jymon noticing it was gone because he would know exactly who had taken it.

Relena could never quite figure out why the necklace meant so much to her, besides the fact that it had been her grandmother's. In fact, it had been in the family for as long as anyone could remember. It wasn't exactly what Relena would call pretty. It was a simple silver chain with a flat black rock attacked at the end. It was the kind of rock that the stable boys liked to use to skip rocks on the pond. The small stone had no ornamentation besides that it was a perfect circle. Relena supposed that she liked it because she was told that at her birth her grandmother had placed in around her neck and it had glowed bright emerald green. Relena liked that story because she figured it had something to do with her gift.

Relena was fascinated with her gift. She loved it mostly because her parents were anything but happy about it. They had warned her as a child never to use her gift because it was evil. She had been punished severely when she had used it. However harsh the punishment though, Relena couldn't stop herself from toying with it once in a while.

Relena had of course heard the old stories of the evil sorcerers. Her grandmother had spent many a rainy night recanting the adventure of the evil beings and the brave holder of the power of Isis. Relena loved hearing these stories especially because of her gift. It made her feel somehow connected to the long ago people of fairy tales.

When Relena was born the old stories became much more than simply old tales to frighten young people. It had suddenly turned to stark reality as the skies became cloudy overhead and the fields refused to produce hardly anything edible. The sunlight that did occasionally filter through in Relena's part of the world and nourish the sickly plants was harsh and cruel, more often than not killing those very plants. The shadows that it cast were dark and mocking. Relena however seemed not to notice these things. She had grown up with those conditions and to her it was perfectly normal.

When Relena was little and had been scolded for using her gift, her grandmother would take her in her arms and told her another story of long ago. For a while Relena had not seen the connection between the stories and why she couldn't use her gift. It wasn't until she was older that she understood. People were afraid. So afraid in fact that they didn't tolerate anyone with the gift. Relena felt hurt and cheated by this treatment. She was not evil and would certainly never use her gift to hurt people but seldom would anyone choose to listen to someone who was "different."

Relena's parent's could not understand why Relena refused to listen to them and used her gift openly in public. Didn't she know that she could be killed for such and action? If Relena didn't feel the threat of being discovered, her parents did. They too were deeply afraid of the darkening skies and changing times. They had lived in a time before the world had been changed and now were terrified. No one wanted the world to become the way it had been two hundred years ago. Even if no one wanted the darkness to return, there was no way for them to stop it. Everyday the skies became blacker and the storms increased. The acid rain fell at least once a week, killing anything left in the open. The landscape became charred and lifeless and the people shuddered with fear. The world was changing and Relena seemed to ignore it all.


	13. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Escape

A few days of deliberation passed before the princess decided to leave the castle for good. Her months of careful planning were to be put to the test. She would leave the ruin of a castle and look elsewhere for adventure.

That night Relena ate her final meal with her parents and on wishing them goodnight found herself making it heartfelt because it was. The monarchs had never really been cruel, Relena decided. Simply old fashioned. Relena hated the old ways and wanted something to change in what her parents had called "an ever changing world." Relena couldn't understand why her parents were so against change when they clearly recognized their world as changing. The only cultures that survive are the ones that change, Relena thought. With that, the princess Relena looked at her parents a final time and strode out the doorway.

Relena waited in her darkened room until she was sure that the castle was sleeping. She quietly gathered her things from under her bed and changed into her outdoor wear. She crept to the door and pushed it open. It was no longer locked because she had proven herself worthy of her parent's trust. Relena snickered at that idea. She was glad however that she didn't have to use her gift in order to escape. She didn't have the time to deal with the side effects.

The hooded girl carefully made it down to the main floor of the castle and then silently headed towards Jymon's quarters. Since the day she had found it she had retraced her steps so that she could have done it blindfolded. At that moment that was what it felt like. There were no lanterns lighting that part of the hallway and no windows to let moonlight in. Relena ran her hand along the wall to overcome the vertigo caused by the absolute darkness.

Relena rounded the final curve and breathed a sigh of relief as her hands passed over the old tapestry. She set her traveling things down and flipped the switch behind the wall hanging. The door leading to Jymon's quarters creaked open. Beyond it lay darkness. Relena took a deep breath and entered the passageway.

Emerging from the darkened passage, the princess was almost blinded by the bright lanterns. Relena let her eyes adjust to the sudden glare and then took stock of her situation. Relena was mildly surprised with the room she found herself in. She had always expected Jymon's dwelling to be covered with cobwebs and shelves filled with strange body parts and spell books littering the table tops. Instead she looked on at a plain room with a small desk and chair and a shelf filled with only slightly dusty books. On closer inspection Relena found the books to be simple science and mathematical transcripts. On the desk were ink, a quill, and parchment. Relena simply shrugged and took to looking for her necklace.

After searching through every book and drawer Relena admitted to herself that the necklace was not in the small study. The only other place it could be was in Jymon's bedroom. Relena swallowed back the rising fear and then took a purposeful step toward the door that led to Jymon's sleeping chamber.

Luckily the door was unlocked. There was only a slight click as Relena wrestled with the opening mechanism. Then she was in. Relena again let her eyes adjust, this time to the lack a light. Soft snoring sounds came from the corner of the room where she assumed his bed was. Her feet made no sound as they padded across the chamber, but Relena was afraid that the loud beating of her heart would give her away.

The she saw it. The necklace was hanging off the bedpost. Relena smiled with relief at finding it so easily. She slunk forward and gently removed the necklace from its place. She secured the chain around her neck and backed out of the room. The door closed quietly behind her and then she was off. Relena ran to the opening and dashed out into the hall. She scooped up her gear and then raced to the entryway of the castle.

Exiting the castle was easy because Relena had memorized long ago the movements of the guards. She could have predicted where each guard was every second of the night shift.

Relena had cleverly rigged a wooden plank between the edges of the moat one night so that when she escaped she would not have to swim the moat and risk being too cold to run any further. When Relena reached her plank however she was disappointed to find that one of the edges had slipped down off her side of the bank and was now under water. The board came out of the water three feet from Relena's side, but was still supported on the other side. Relena carefully weighed her options and then jumped. One foot landed neatly on the inclined board, but the other slipped on the edge and went under water. Relena quickly pulled her foot out of the water, but her leg was soaked from the knee down.

When Relena reached the other side of the moat, after walking up the treacherously unstable board, she sat down. Her wet leg was covered in mud and slime from the water. She sighed impatiently at the discomfort and then got to her feet again. She looked back at the castle one last time and then ran for the opening in the valley wall.

Relena ran for what seemed like ages. She had long since passed the open plains of the valley and was now in the dense forest. To anyone else the dark forest would have been a nightmare place. Strange cries rent the night and unearthly shadows filled every corner. To Relena it was perfect. It was just the place to hide if by some chance someone at the castle had noticed her disappearance. _They will never be able to find me now_, she thought.

It was another two hours before the exhausted Relena reached the boulders blocking her escape route. She tied her gear to her back with some cord she had brought in order to free her hands as she climbed. As Relena approached the rocks she found them to be more massive than she had thought. She put aside her fears though at went to climbing with a will.

Relena could almost taste her freedom as she scrambled up the rocks and urged her hands and feet to move faster. This however was difficult because her weary body was having trouble as it was trying to scale the boulders. Her hands slipped on the smooth rock surface and her legs couldn't give her the leverage she needed. After climbing a few more inches she put her cheek against the rock and rested. She glanced up and found herself a long way from the top of the two boulders that were stacked on top of each other. Relena's will to continue pushed her to greater limits though and she continued to climb several inches at a time.

By the time she had reached the top of one boulder and had found a narrow ledge to perch on Relena's arms and legs were quivering with the exertion. She didn't know how she would ever be able to climb up the next massive rock, so she decided to take a brief rest to relax her tired muscles.

Relena awoke to the sound of her name being called. At first she thought she was at home being woken by one of the servants. Then she looked down and almost fell off the ledge. She had fallen asleep sitting on the ledge and morning had snuck up on her. A wild panic gripped her and she struggled around and began to climb the second boulder. Every muscle in her body ached and she felt her fingernails ripping as she struggled up the rock. One of her feet slipped and she felt a searing pain and knew her shin was skinned badly. She continued upward though and through her panic and the rush of adrenaline she made it to the top and saw a vertical drop below her. She stood atop the boulder and braced her torn hands against the sides of the opening and looked down again. It was a long way down. She looked at the sides and was faced with rock walls no person could scale. It was much too high to jump without seriously hurting herself. Relena knew that she couldn't stay up so high. Anyone looking for her would see her in an instant. Then Relena felt the warmth of the stone pressing against her chest. She took a deep breath and let go.

Relena was falling. The wind whipped by her face and the rock strewn ground loomed closer. Relena seemed to see her fall in slow motion. Then speed returned to normal and she was faced with life or death. She just hoped that she had the strength to save herself. Her gift kicked in at the last moment and held her, suspended an inch above the dagger like rocks. Then Relena collapsed and fell to the ground. Her left side felt like it was on fire as she tried to pick herself up from the debris she had landed in. She cried out as she tried to put weight on the scraped leg. She looked down at it and found it to be much worse than she thought. Her whole leg was covered in warm sticky blood.

Relena's thoughts turned abruptly towards her escape when she looked up and saw the river beyond the walls. She half hopped, half dragged herself the last hundred feet through the narrow canyon. She could hardly believe it when she looked out and saw that she had made it. She had actually made it!

The swim across the river was anything but pleasant but Relena was too hurt, too tired, and too ecstatic to care. She was free! She giggled with delight as her feet touched the opposite bank of the river. She had luckily come to a part of the river that was smooth and tranquil. Relena felt completely refreshed by the cold water and yet completely exhausted. She sighed as she pulled herself up on the grass and stretched out. Relena knew she couldn't stay there because eventually some bright person would think to check for her outside the valley.

Relena struggled to her feet and smiled with sheer delight. She turned to continue her escape through the forest that had still survived outside the valley. What she saw standing by the first thick group of trees turned her blood to ice. She whimpered quietly and then ran like she had never run before. Sunken black eyes followed her movement. Within a second Jymon was chasing after the fleeing princess.


	14. Part 4: Chapter 1

Part 4

Chapter 1

The Outcasts Meet

Zechs knew it before he entered the bar. The place was bad luck. Noin however thought differently. Then again, she never simply relied on hunches or funny feelings. She knew that they were tired and out of food and the bar could provide them with both food and a place to stay.

The two entered the ramshackle building and sought out an empty table in the back corner of the tavern. The bartender was along presently to take their orders. He looked them over carefully and only half listened as they asked for food. He walked away but continued to stare in their direction. Zechs was beginning to feel really bad about the whole place.

"Do you think he knows?" he whispered to Noin, trying to keep the worry from his voice.

Noin simply smiled at him and covered his hands with hers. Sometimes Zechs felt that a companion that would actually tell him what they were thinking for a change wouldn't be a bad idea. Then Noin leaned over and spoke softly into his ear, "Don't worry. If he tries anything, you can just set the place on fire." She softened the remark with a kiss on his cheek, but Zechs was not happy. He sat back in his chair and refused to look at her. He was shocked that she would talk so nonchalantly about such a personal subject. Zechs squirmed in his chair and hoped that no matter what he would never had to use his gift for such a purpose.

Noin seemed to be done talking however and simply sat and hummed to herself. Zechs could never figure out how she kept so calm all the time. He sighed heavily and turned his attention back to the bar. The bartender was speaking with someone who appeared to be the manager of the tavern. He occasionally glanced in their direction. The manager then turned and looked long and hard at the two. He whispered something to the bar-keep and disappeared into a back room. After a while Zechs was relieved to see that nothing was going to happen. Perhaps the manager didn't want to turn down paying customers.

The food they had ordered was brought to them at last and Zechs went at it with a will. Noin on the other hand took small dainty bites and ate slowly. Zechs just shook his head. She hadn't eaten for as long as he, but she still managed to be classy. He sighed and continued eating his meal, trying not to wolf it down. The food wasn't especially what Zechs would call a good meal but at least he wasn't starving anymore.

After the disappointing meal Zechs sat and sipped his drink. Noin had given him a disapproving glance when he had ordered it. Zechs shrugged and drank it anyway. He was glad for his older appearance. As he relaxed he looked around the tavern at the other lost souls that had chosen to congregate there as well. On the farthest corner from him sat two old men. Beside them was a group of rowdy men, probably in their thirties. They were singing and cursing loudly as the drinks continued to be brought to the table. A few tables away sat an older woman with her husband. They were chatting quietly and ignoring the group of fellows.

Zechs blinked his eyes several times and tried to clear his head. He was more tired than he thought. Either it was from the alcohol or fatigue, he didn't know. Noin was looking past him at the table behind him. She seemed to be lost in thought. Zechs yawned and rested his head against his arm on the table. He almost didn't realize what was happening until Noin tapped him gently on the arm. He lifted his head in time to see the group of men from the far table stand drunkenly and saunter over to their table.

Zechs came fully awake and sat up straight in his chair. The ringleader of the bunch approached him. Zechs could tell that he was drunk.

"Hey, you there..."the man slurred. "We...we don't take to your kind around here. You just better scram. Now."

Zechs looked coolly back at the man and wondered if he could take him. The man was much bigger and probably stronger than Zechs. The young man was experienced though and had been involved in many such confrontations.

The men saw that Zechs and Noin weren't leaving and began to get angry. They started to shout and soon the whole tavern was dead silent. The manager came out from the back and walked over to the crowded table.

"Now look," he said, "I don't want any trouble. You two will have to leave. I'm sorry, but he's right. I didn't want to bring it up before, but you two arent welcome."

Zechs slowly stood and took Noin by the hand. She too stood and together they headed to the door. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor alerted Zechs of what was happening. He wheeled around quickly, pushing Noin behind him in the process. The chair hit Zechs in the chest and he stumbled backward, the air knocked from him.

The ring leader had attacked him from behind. The manager was backing away, obviously not wanting to be involved in the fight. He also seemed to have no intentions of stopping the fight. Zechs crouched down into a fighter's stance and looked around for something, anything that he could use as a weapon. The ring leader had discarded the chair and was now holding a long blade. Zechs knew that wasn't a good sign.

Zechs had been in knife fights before. They were bloody and cruel, and at the time he had a knife too. He was about to face the man bare handed. It was not good at all. The man seemed to have sobered up completely and was now in the process of gutting the younger man. Zechs kept himself always one step ahead of the flashing blade, but knew that soon he would tire and then the bigger man would close in on him.

The two opponents circled each other and a crowd of spectators had closed in a round them. Busy thinking about the blade, Zechs didn't see as one of the man's friends lashed a foot out. Zechs tripped and fell heavily to the floor. The man with the knife rushed in and Zechs turned to roll. There wasn't any place to go. He was trapped and the larger man was bearing down on him with the fury and speed of a hurricane.

Then suddenly, the man was no longer there. Zechs watched in amazement as the man flew backward through the air and crashed with a resounding snap against the tavern wall. He slumped to the ground and ceased to move. Zechs got shakily to his feet and looked around. He knew that there was no way that he could have done that. He didn't know of any of his kind that could do that. There was just no way. He looked at Noin, and for once she looked just as stunned as he did.

Zechs barely noticed as the crowd parted. He was only dully aware as the spectators slowly dissolved back and left Zechs, Noin, and another person standing in place. Zechs looked at the third person and wondered if it was him that had done that. _It couldn't be_, he reasoned with himself. _It's just a kid_.

----------

Quatre had entered the bar in a state of near exhausting. He had literally collapsed into the chair in the very back of the bar. He was thankful that no one had seen him come in. He pushed his chair back against the wall so that he was completely lost in the shadows and fell asleep.

His dreams were a myriad of confused and depressed thoughts. A long voyage across the sea, the sense of complete abandonment, but mostly a deep sadness. Quatre deeply resented the fight within him to stay alive. He would have liked to simply crawl into the hole of despair he felt and die, but for some reason his mind wouldn't let him do that. It had forced him to keep moving and had led him to the small tavern.

He was jerked roughly awake by the sounds of a struggled. He watched for a minute as an older man from the town tried to catch and end the life of a younger quicker man. Quatre watched this strange young man, and then realized what had drawn his attention to him. That man was different. Quatre puzzled this in his mind for some time and then turned his head slightly and saw the other. It was a pretty young woman. She was different too. Quatre could sense that she didn't want to see the other man hurt.

Suddenly Quatre watched as the younger man fell heavily and attempted to roll out of the way of the man holding the knife. The olive skinned lady gasped. Quatre made a split second decision and realized that he could no longer simply sit and watch. The younger man couldn't, or wouldn't stop the attacker by himself. Quatre stood at the edge of the crowd and then started to feel lightheaded. He watched with mild amusement as the older man flew through the air and was forced into the tavern wall.

The young man stood up shakily and looked around in shock. Quatre sighed quietly. He hadn't meant it to be that powerful. Oh well, at least he had stopped the fight. He took his eyes off the slumped figure against the wall and looked at the two other people. They were staring intently at him with bewildered looks. Quatre sighed again and then headed for the door. He couldn't understand the world at all. He didn't understand why everyone hated people that were different. It made no sense.

Zechs watched as his rescuer headed toward the door. He was still in a state of pure astonishment. _A kid did that?_ Then Zechs was headed for the door as well. He needed to find out how that had happened. _How could a child be so strong?_ He wondered. Noin was walking to the door too. She seemed just as perplexed as he did.

Soon all three of them were standing outside in the quickly diminishing sunlight.

"Hey wait," called Zechs hesitantly, "I, uh...want to talk to you...if you'd just....hey wait!"

Quatre quickened his paced and crossed his arms over his chest. He really wasn't interested in talking to the young man. He especially didn't want to talk about what had happened in the bar.

Noin ran forward and caught the stranger by the arm and whirled him around. Zechs stared in surprise. He had wanted to talk to the kid, but he had no idea that Noin really wanted to as well, or why.

"Listen, we really need to talk," said Noin in her most persuasive tone. "I want to know how you did that and who you are." When he didn't answer right away Noin shook him and repeated herself. "I don't care if you don't want to talk to us. At this point I'm telling you that you have to."

Zechs quickly checked himself to make sure his mouth wasn't hanging open. He had ever heard Noin speak so harshly to anyone. She looked as if she would slap the kid if he didn't answer her. He looked just as shocked. He blushed slightly and catching Zechs's expression, started talking.

"I'm Quatre...I...um...I'm not quite sure how I do that, but...um...look, it just sort of happens, okay!" He sputtered.

"That's fine," said Noin, much, more calmly. "Now where did you come from, and what are you doing here?"

Zechs stepped forward and unhooked Noin from Quatre. "Noin," he started softly, "Let the kid alone. Stop interrogating him, will you?"

"No, it's okay," Quatre said softly. "I was just as surprised as you were to find people...well...you know, like me."

Noin softened her look and then reached out and touched Quatre gently on the arm. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be harsh. If you'd feel comfortable talking about yourself, go right on ahead. If not, well, then it's none of my business. I know that I would feel uncomfortable talking about myself, especially to a stranger. The reason why I want to know about you is because...how would you feel about joining us?"

Zechs looked at her incredulously. "Noin! What are you doing? We hardly know him! We can't be responsible for some kid..."

"Zechs," she interrupted, "I believe it would benefit us greatly to have him come along."

"But why? I mean why...hang on! Why am I always the last one to know anything about you! How come you never tell me anything!" Zechs took a deep breath and suddenly felt very tired. It had been a long day and he couldn't seem to keep it all straight. All he could think was, _poor Zechs. He's probably too dull to get it._ He felt angry and confused all at once. He wished for the hundredth time that Noin would tell him what was on her mind. She had some reason for inviting the kid to come with them, but so far Zechs hadn't figured it out.

"It's all right, Zechs. I just think that it would be a good idea for him to come with us. But by the way, I'm Noin and this is Zechs," she said, hardly taking a breath between reprimanding Zechs and introducing herself.

"I'm Quatre…still," Quatre said awkwardly. He was very confused too. He had no idea why this woman was asking him to join them. For once though, he was beginning to feel happy. He didn't know why, but these people seemed more real to him than anyone else he had met on his travels. They seemed nice enough as well, if not a bit hasty. Suddenly Quatre felt as though he didn't want to be alone any longer. For a few brief minutes while talking to the two young people, he hadn't felt quite so sad. "Yes," he stated confidently.

"Yes what?," asked Zechs, still slightly mystified by the whole evening.

"Yes, I want to come with you."

"Oh," said Zechs, feeling very stupid. "Well, then if you want to, I guess it would be okay."

Noin smiled her approval and then the three simply stared at each other and then began to laugh slightly. The whole situation seemed to be very funny as they looked back on it. They all felt a sense of companionship, and suddenly the world seemed a brighter place amidst the black and white.


	15. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The Princess, the Prince, and the Travelers

Quatre, for the first time in many months, was feeling very happy. He liked being part of a group. He especially liked the feeling inside him that his two new traveling companions were his friends. At first the young man, Zechs, had been a bit skeptical, but eventually began to warm to the new addition to the group.

Quatre soon learned that Zechs and Noin had been good friends for quite some time. Once in a while though, Zechs would hint at something deeper than just friendship with the beautiful woman he traveled with. Noin did little talking and seemed to always be concentrating on some problem that she had to work out. Quatre didn't like to talk to much to her for fear that he was somehow interrupting her thoughts.

Zechs had no inhibitions about talking whatsoever. He talked almost constantly. Quatre didn't mind though, he liked to hear Zechs ramble on and on. He even caught himself smiling once in a while at the stupid jokes Zechs told to amuse them on their long travels between towns. They never talked about the scene at the bar or their gifts. Quatre was just fine with that.

Zechs grew close to his new young friend. It was good to have another guy to talk to. Zechs loved to recount some of his travels with Quatre. He also enjoyed having someone around that appreciated his jokes. _Too bad the kid is kind of quiet,_ he thought. _All the better for me. At last he acts like he's listening._ And so on and on went the stories.

Noin was enjoying Quatre's company as well. He was a very intelligent young man, if not very pensive. Noin wanted to find out more about Quatre but he seemed unwilling to offer any information. She reminded herself that it was none of her business, but she was still curious. The most enchanting thing she found about their new friend was his eyes. He had the most luminescent blue-green eyes she had ever seen. They were the kind of eyes that seemed to look directly into her soul every time she looked him in the face.

After several weeks of tramping across open wasteland the landscape drastically changed. Ahead of the travelers was an inviting horizon of forest land. With higher spirits, the three made their way towards the trees which, on closer inspection, lined the base of the beginning of a mountain range.

It was on the night before they reached the forest that Noin told Zechs her reason for inviting Quatre. It came about most unexpectedly, but knowing Noin, Zechs found it hardly surprising.

They were sitting around a small campfire looking up at the clouded over night sky. Quatre had fallen asleep off to the side and Noin moved over to Zechs. He held her gently in his arms and they were silent for a time.

"I think he's the one we've been looking for," Noin said softly.

"Hmm?" Zechs mumbled. He was already half asleep.

"You know the old story, the one about the sorcerers?" Noin tried again. At this Zechs came completely awake. Of course he had heard the story, everyone had.

"In that story, there was one person whose gift far exceeded anyone else' and he killed the sorcerers. Remember? Well...I think this kid's it. It makes sense." Then Noin lapsed into silence to let it sink in.

"So, you're saying that this fifteen year old is going to save the world?" Zechs asked sarcastically. Noin stood up stiffly and walked back over to her side of the fire and sat down. Zechs sighed. _I just couldn't keep my big mouth shut, could I?_ he snarled to himself. He looked over at the sleeping form of Quatre. _Could it really be true? If it was, then this is the break everyone is looking for, and I'm the guy that gets to chaperone the person who's number one on the sorcerers' hit list. Great. Just great._ Zechs looked back at the small form of Quatre and whispered softly, "Don't worry kid. If your life's mission is to go kill the most powerful people on the planet, then I'll be right be your side."

"That's exactly what we're doing, and where we're going." Zechs nearly jumped a foot in the air. Noin sat down next to him again and smiled. Zechs smiled back weakly and stared into the fire.

The next day they were up early and back on the path in moments. Zechs stayed unusually quiet and for time the three walked in absolute silence. The forest they were traveling through had a sinister atmosphere about it. Noin finally realized what gave it that quality and voiced her opinion. The total lack of noise in what appeared to be a thriving forest, despite the storms, was slightly chilling.

After a while Zechs couldn't stand the deafening silence. He began singing to himself. Noin turned and looked at him with curiosity. Quatre too turned to look at Zechs, who was bringing up the rear in their little procession. He had a surprisingly pleasant tenor voice. Soon Noin had joined in the song and had a lovely voice as well. They both seemed to know the song well.

Zechs caught up with Quatre. "You don't like to sing?" he asked.

"No. I like singing all right, I guess," he replied, "It's just that I've never heard that song before. It sounds nice though."

Quatre caught the surprised look that passed between his two companions and stopped. "What?"

"Um, well...that song...it's famous! Everyone knows that song..," Zechs trailed off lamely.

"How could you not know it?" asked Noin.

"Where I come from, people just don't know that song. I didn't grow up on the mainland." This was obviously more information than Quatre had planned on giving them so he turned away and started walking again.

"Where did you grow up?" Noin ventured. She received no answer though. She nodded her head in understanding and motioned for Zechs to keep walking.

At dusk they stopped and made camp. Quatre looked depressed and in no mood to talk. Zechs was sorry they had ever made a big deal about the song that day. When they were off alone collecting wood for the fire, Noin assured Zechs that was not what was bothering him.

Zechs felt slightly better, but his happier mood dropped as soon as they reached camp. Quatre was sitting with his back against a nearby tree and had gone very pale. Noin rushed to his side and knelt down beside him.

"Are you all right?" she asked in a very motherly fashion.

"Yes," he breathed. Zechs looked him over carefully and knew he was far from all right. He too walked over to Quatre and sat down beside him.

"Is there something you want to talk to us about? You know you can tell us anything," Zechs said to reassure Quatre. He wasn't quite so sure though that he wanted to hear about whatever had made his young friend look so sick.

Quatre took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak. Finally he decided to say something and it came out very fast. "I've been running for a while. Running from my home, from...everything. I never got to say goodbye to someone and I dont think I will ever...I don't ever want to go back and I really don't want to talk about it. I know that this might sound rude to you, but I don't feel that telling you about my past would help anything."

"That's just fine with me," said Noin after some time, "That's just what it is: past. As far as I'm concerned it never happened. The most you can do is to learn from what has passed and become wiser for it, more mature. Only talk about what you feel comfortable with."

Quatre smiled with relief and started to look much better. He still knew that his friends were curious about his past, but he knew that they would never pressure him to tell them. They were his friends and they understood. Quatre smiled again. _Yes, they are friends. My friends._

_----------_

It had been a smothering day. The clouds overhead held in all the summer heat. By ten in the morning the three travelers had to stop or risk heat exhausting.

They stopped to rest beside a small river and took out some of their food provision. Zechs looked over the battered old map and groaned at what he saw. About five miles ahead was the beginning of an overpass that was the only way through the mountains. What worried Zechs was that halfway along this seemingly treacherous path was a canyon. On the map a wooden bridge connected the two sides. The map was old and Zechs was worried that the bridge might no longer exist. If that were the case, they would have to back track and somehow find another way through the mountains.

Zechs glumly passed the map on to Noin. She looked it over carefully and then passed it to Quatre with an air of indifference. Zechs was pleased to note though that at least Quatre looked concerned.

They rested until sitting became as unbearable as walking, so they opted to continue on. Zechs was decidedly unhappy at the heat and chose every moment to express his discomfort. His two companions were soon as irritable as he was and grew very impatient with him. Another whining comment and a short but very effective rebuke later and the three walked in silence.

It was most fortunate that they were silent, or else they might not have heard the screams. Noin was the first to hear them and brought the two young men up short. She shushed them needlessly and then concentrated on the sound. It was not long in coming. In seconds the three were running toward it. Zechs later looked back on that moment and wondered why on earth they had all decided to dash headlong toward the sounds of fear and pain.

Quatre, the fastest of the three, reached the situation first. He dashed straight on into the clearing and ran headlong into the prettiest girl he had ever seen. The two lay stunned on the ground and then staggered to their feet. Quatre immediately started to apologize but the girl hysterically quieted him.

"Shut up! He'll hear you! Just run, come !" she gasped.

Quatre stared dumbly at her and then realized that she meant for him to run. _All right,_ he managed to think, his brain still trying to comprehend the situation, _What, run? Why? Who cares?!, she said run, so RUN!_ His mind finally realized that he was already running, or rather being dragged along by the girl. Quatre caught the startled looks of Zechs and Noin as he shot past them, heading in the direction they had just come from. They smartly wheeled around and began following. Quatre didn't have long to wonder what they were running from.

Ahead of them, standing on the dirt pathway was a tall hooded being. He smiled a crooked smile and then attacked. The girl tried in vain to stop them before they barreled into the frightening apparition. Quatre was still having trouble keeping his mind straight. The man, if it could be called that, hurtled toward them and grabbed Quatre by the front of his tunic. With one fluid motion he threw the dazed young man toward the nearest tree. Quatre hit it dead on and slumped to the ground. He felt cold all over. Pain was slowly creeping from his spine to his entire body.

Zechs and Noin thundered through the trees, stopping short of the tree where Quatre lay gasping with pain. The sinister old man came towards Quatre as if to finish him off when the girl threw herself on him. He easily shook her off, but the brief interruption had given Quatre enough time to pull himself up. Then the pathway was washed in blue light and the old man was thrown on to the path where he ceased to move. Noin and Zechs rushed to Quatre's side as he swayed on his feet. The girl stared, transfixed by the sight of the limp old man.

When Quatre was stable enough to walk the four headed away from the sight as quickly as they could. A cold fear gripped each of them and they were deathly silent. Quatre was still shaky from the whole encounter and struggled to keep up with his companions.

After walking for several miles, the excess adrenaline from the flight through the woods and the fear had worn off and was replaced by sheer exhausting. Zechs halted the party and they gladly sat down.

For a while no one spoke. After several minutes of this, Zechs could stand it no longer and spoke up. "Well, since it appears we're going the same way, we might as well get acquainted. I'm Zechs, that's Noin, and he's Quatre," Zechs said, pointing at the other two.

"Yes, forgive me," said the girl, "I'm Relena. It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Where exactly are you all going?"

"We're headed over these mountains, and then from there..." Zechs explained.

"I see. Well, I'm kind of new at this traveling thing. In fact, I've only been running for a day and a half. If it's all right with you, I'd like to come with you. You seem to know what you're doing." said Relena.

"Uh, sure. That's fine with me." Zechs agreed.

"Fine with me," said Noin, "Quatre?"

"Oh, sure," he said weakly. He still looked ashen and tired.

"Good," said Relena briskly, "Oh, and by the way, I'm glad that you all aren't afraid of using your gifts. I sure don't like to hide it."

Zechs looked shyly at Noin who returned his gaze. Quatre, who was lying down raised his head but decided that it was too much trouble to say anything. He settled back down and looked like he was going to fall asleep. Relena didn't seem to notice however. She smiled at her new friends and hopped to her feet. She grimaced slightly as she applied weight to her injured leg and sat down again. She laughed lightly and started to get up again.

Noin watched her carefully and then cast a glance over at Zechs. He shrugged, and Noin took that to mean, why not? She sat down by Relena and then motioned for her to uncover her leg. Quatre sat up with mild curiosity. He had never seen Noin's gift before. Noin placed a hand on the deeply scratched area. Relena stared at the young woman in amazement. Noin sat back on her heels, looking pleased with herself. Quatre too seemed impressed and he smiled. Zechs just snorted and looked away. Relena looked at her leg which was completely healed. It was then that she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Relena turned around and tried to scream, but no sound came out. Jymon was there, standing just a few feet away. Noin and Zechs leapt up and yanked Quatre to his feet. The sorcerer made no move toward them, but it felt as if he was looming over them.

"Hello. Pleased to see you all again," came his oil slick voice. "I don't believe I've been properly introduced. I'm Jymon, and I'm here to bring Relena back home where she belongs."

"She obviously doesn't want to go with you," Noin retorted.

"That doesn't matter. She is a royal princess and shouldn't be mingling with the likes of you."

"You have no right to order me about," Relena said, finally finding a voice. "I never want to go back, and you can't make me!"

The wizard smiled and chuckled quietly. His laughter came out like sandpaper being rubbed together. His stood watching them for a moment and then as if by some cue, the four travelers took off down the path.

They ran until Noin and Zechs thought it safe enough to stop. Relena thought otherwise. With breathless gestures she frantically urged them onward. The loped off at a slower pace towards what Zechs knew would soon be the canyon.

They came upon the canyon quicker than Zechs thought they would, but he laughed in relief to find that the bridge was still intact. He started to cross it, but Noin held him back. After a careful analysis she deemed it safe to cross. Noin led the way with Zechs next, then Relena, and Quatre bring up the rear.

When they reached the middle of the bridge they had all slowed to a cautious walk. The wooden planks below them groaned and the rope handrails swayed in the wind. Relena had her eyes tightly shut and was being pushed gently onward by Quatre and guided by Zechs. She felt him come to a sudden halt and opened her eyes. Jymon was standing at the edge of the bridge they had just come from.

The next instant seemed to happen in slow motion. Jymon took out a wicked looking knife and cut through the suspending ropes with ease. Noin grabbed Zechs who in turn grabbed Relena's arm and Noin jumped for the earth past the end of the bridge. Noin caught the post of the bridge with her free hand and held on for dear life. Relena felt herself pulled up short as the human rope they made snapped her to a halt. It was then that she remembered Quatre.

Quatre felt the planks of wood as they dropped with him on them. He wildly thrashed about trying to find something to hold on to. He watched in complete amazement as suddenly he was no longer standing on the bridge but watching it slide vertically upward as he descended. He desperately grabbed out and by some miracle happened to grab the last plank of wood. He cried out as the rough wood bit into his hands and felt as though his arms were being pulled from their sockets.

The pendulum movement of the severed bridge didn't have far to swing out. It smacked against the canyon wall with Quatre along with it. At first he was too confused to realize that he had run into the wall until the pain set in. He looked down at his hands and realized that blood was dripping onto them. The waves of pain in his head almost made him black out, but he managed to keep his grip on the wood. He heard faint screams from up above, but they seemed so far away. More than anything he wanted to get rid of the pain in his hands, arms, and head and just sleep...

Quatre was jerked out of semi unconsciousness by the touch of a cool hand on his. He looked up and saw through the blood that was dripping into his eyes the figure of Relena. A wicked laughter cut through the haze and a horrible pain convulsed through his body. He felt himself go numb and then everything went dark.


	16. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Gifted Ones

Zechs held tightly to Noin from the top of what remained of the bridge. Relena had quickly descended the bridge/ladder and was clutching the unmoving form of Quatre. Zechs felt a strong tug on his arm but was unwilling to go up any further and leave Relena to hold up Quatre. He chanced to look up and was surprised to see a face that didn't belong to Noin. The woman staring down at him yanked on him again and he obediently climbed up.

After Zechs and Noin had been dragged to safety a swarm of colorfully clad young men acrobatically descended the rope and emerged moments later with a very shaken Relena and battered Quatre. Quatre lay very still and for a minute Zechs began to panic. The woman who had saved him put a reassuring hand on his arm and led him and Noin to the pathway.

The hour after their frightening ordeal was only remembered as a dazed blur. Quatre was carried on the shoulders of several of the men and Noin and Relena were helped along by friendly hands. Zechs plodded solemnly along. It wasn't until later that he realized that the crazed old man had mysteriously disappeared.

The troupe finally reached a pleasant meadow where multicolored tents had been pitched. Quatre was taken into one to be tended to by a healer of some sort. The other three were ushered into another tent and given a drink that reminded Zechs of lilacs and mint leaves. For a while they could only sit in silence.

The woman from the bridge pushed back the flap of the tent and sat down next to the three young travelers. She pulled her long blonde hair out of her face and deftly tied it behind her head to keep it out of the way. She smiled warmly at her guests.

"Hello. It's a real pleasure to have all of you here. My name's Sally, and this is my band. We're nomads. Always in search of adventure I suppose you could say," Sally laughed and stuck out her hand. Zechs smiled too and everyone shook hands on the newly made friendship.

After Zechs had introduced his companions Sally asked them to tell her about their travels. Noin, being a more poetic speaker, told the leader about some of the things they had seen and heard on their travels. Relena too spoke up and, leaving no detail out, explained her whole life and her incredible escape. Sally only shook her head in amazement after all three had told their tales.

"It's a pity that young man you are with isn't awake. I would love to here all about him as well," said Sally thoughtfully.

Zechs sat up a little and looked guiltily at Noin. "I...we...he," Zechs started hesitantly.

Noin waved him aside. "How is Quatre any way?"

"Oh? So that's his name. He was hurt pretty bad, but I think he'll be fine. The strange thing is, it wasn't the fall from the bridge that really seemed to hurt him. I don't know what happened, it's just really weird."

"What's really weird?" asked Zechs.

"I'm not sure but..." Sally let out a heavy sigh and didn't say anything more.

"Would it be all right if I saw Quatre? I'm a healer if you will," Noin said in the silence.

"Of course. Follow me."

Zechs and Relena stood up too and followed Sally to the other tent. The tall woman turned and looked back at the three of them and smiled.

"It would be nice for a...um...healer like yourself to stay with our band," she said quietly. "It's hard for us to find good medical help, and especially someone so gifted. It's hard being an outcast in this world."

Sally smiled again and led them into the make shift medical tent. Zechs looked at Noin and Relena and saw them smiling. The thought suddenly struck him with the speed of a lightening bolt. They were all gifted as well! Zechs then felt very stupid. Relena and Noin must have noticed it as soon as they were introduced to the tall blonde leader. Zechs blushed and swore softly to himself. He had no more time however to think of himself as they were shown to Quatre's side.

The young man was very pale and his breath came in ragged gasps. Relena cried out softly and fell to her knees beside Quatre. She looked genuinely worried. Zechs placed his hand gently on her back. She didn't even seem to notice.

Noin crouched down as well and slowly stretched out her arms. She placed her hands on Quatre's arm with infinite tenderness. She jerked back her arm as if she had been bitten by a snake. She sat back quickly and stared straight ahead with shock filled eyes. Zechs grabbed her and shook her by the shoulders. Noin shook her head as if to clear it, but didn't say anything right away. The band of gifted ones had crowded close around to see what had happened. Sally motioned them back and then sat down with Noin.

"It was awful," Noin said at last. "It was as if...I don't know how to explain it. It was pain, a cold chilling pain. Whatever that old man did to him, it was bad. Very bad."

She reached out to touch him again but Zechs grabbed her by the hands. "Stop! What are you doing?" he asked.

"I have to try and help. I can't stand to see anyone like that."

"You don't have to! You'll just get hurt again!"

"Zechs, you must let me do this. It's my job." Noin said with cold finality.

"Yes…please...help him," said Relena who sounded close to tears.

Noin reached out and touched Quatre firmly. She shook slightly as she used her gift. When she was done her shoulders slumped forward in exhaustion. Zechs quickly reached out and pulled her into his arms. For several moments Noin couldn't do anything but sit and try to regain her energy. She felt herself being pulled into sleep when Quatre suddenly opened his eyes.

Relena breathed in sharply and smiled with relief. She helped Quatre sit up who was still feeling very sore. Quatre smiled weakly at Noin and she smiled back. Zechs began to breath easier too.

"Well then, that's much better," said Sally cheerily, "I'll let you all rest for now. Tonight we'll celebrate having you travelers with us. Then you can decide weather or not you want to accompany us. We'd be more than willing to let you."

"Are you heading towards the Silude mountain pass?" asked Noin.

"No, we're not. It's much too dangerous. You weren't thinking of going there yourself, were you?"

"Yes we were," replied Noin.

"Hey! Wait just a minute! Who said anything about going there? Sally's right Noin, Silude is much too dangerous!" Zechs jumped in.

"What's Silude? How come it's so dangerous?" asked Quatre.

"You mean you seriously don't know?" asked Relena incredulously, "Quatre, Silude is said to be the home of the sorcerers!"

"Oh, I see," said Quatre and he looked away.

Zechs shook his head slightly. That was another time Quatre didn't seem to know anything about some of the most elementary teachings of the world.

Sally recovered from her shock at Quatre and then left the tent quietly. The travelers all fell asleep right away. All but Quatre. Quatre looked up at the tent ceiling and felt frustrated with himself. He really had no idea what the others were talking about. Plus the fact that he kept getting hurt and it was always his friends who helped him out. For once he wanted to do something that would help them. Something for Relena....she was so pretty....

Quatre fell into a deep dream filled sleep. Dreams of his home of Cailon, his father, and old Pertania.

When the four awoke they remained in the medical tent, still trying to recuperate from the adventures of what seemed like a very long day. Outside the tent darkness had already fallen. Lights from many campfires flickered and played over the tent walls and dark shapes of people filtered past the tent.

Noin sighed softly in Zechs's arms and attempted to stand up. She was happy to note that except for some bruises left from the fall on the bridge she had completely recovered. Zechs also felt much better. He was grateful for the comfortable bedding they had been given by the gifted ones. He found it odd that he should think of the band like that. The gifted ones. It was as if he was excluding himself from all those that had the gift. Perhaps it was just that he felt so uncomfortable with being gifted. Whatever it was, he was ashamed that his thoughts didn't include him with the others. He wanted to belong. He had never fit in anywhere before, and now that he was with many others like him he still felt left out.

Noin pulled Zechs to his feet. Relena was up as well and had pulled back the tent flap to reveal a scene of festivity. Men and women danced around the flames of the open fires to the beat of many drums and the squeal of reedy flutes. Everyone appeared to be laughing and having a good time. Zechs was quickly caught up in the excitement. Noin also seemed relaxed by the sight. The two exited the tent and went to sit down by the fire next to Sally who welcomed them warmly.

Relena stepped out from the folds of the tent but stopped before she had gone far. She turned back to wait for Quatre. He seemed unwilling to come out from the shelter.

"Don't you want to come join the party?" she asked him.

"Not yet," he replied in a mere whisper. "You go ahead. I'll be there shortly."

Instead of going to the fire Relena went back to the tent. Quatre looked surprised but nodded his thanks to her. The two sat down on the blankets that had been strewn about and for a time they could only sit and stare at the outside world. Relena carefully kept her eyes averted from Quatre's but a longing to lose herself in his sea-green eyes was overpowering her. She pushed back her hair from her face and tried to clear her head of such thoughts.

I hardly know him, and yet...there's just something about him. As if he had read her thoughts, Quatre turned his gaze toward her. He smiled warmly and she smiled back. The young man with the bright eyes laughed then. A good laugh, something he had not done in a long time. Relena chuckled too, caught up in the infectiousness of his joy.

"It's funny," Quatre started, "I haven't laughed in so long. I haven't exactly had all that much to be happy about, but...I don't know. You must think I'm crazy or something."

Relena giggled, "No...I don't think you're crazy. You have a nice laugh. You should try it more often. My grandmother always said that we should try to spend as much as our life as possible being happy because it makes life more fun."

"Your grandmother was very wise. Pertania used to say such things..." Quatre trailed off as sadness crept into his eyes.

Relena hated to see her new friend in such a state. To bring him out of his sudden depression, Relena had an idea.

"Here, look at this," Relena took from around her neck the pendant that her grandmother had given her. Quatre turned his attention back to Relena and stared at the pretty necklace. "My grandmother gave this to me before she died. I dont know why but I always feel closer to her when I look at it."

Relena dangled the pretty thing in front of Quatre's face to see it better. He cupped his hands under it and she let it fall into them. As the small black stone touched his skin Quatre felt a surge of energy leave him. He cried out in alarm and almost dropped the necklace. The stone had turned a milky blue. Swirls of blue light floated about in the stone like fog. Relena's face was bathed in blue light that emanated from her necklace. Unable to hold it any longer, Quatre let it fall to the floor. The light went out and the rock changed back to plain black.

Relena stared in amazement. "That's never happened before. How did you do that?"

"I don't know," said Quatre. Relena looked excited and amazed but Quatre only felt disturbed. He didn't like what had just happened. He felt a cold prickling at the back of his neck, as if someone was watching him. A burst of cold air brushed past Relena. She shivered and looked around in confusion.

"Did you feel that," she asked in a scared whisper.

"Ya. Hey, do you hear that?" asked Quatre.

"Hear what? I can't hear anything."

"Exactly. A few minutes ago everyone was laughing and playing music outside. Now it's all gone dead silent."

Relena shivered again and scooted closer to Quatre. The firelight from outside had also seemed to have gone out. It was utter darkness in the tent. Relena heard the sound of her breath coming in short spasms. She forced herself to try and calm down and to breath regularly.

Suddenly several things happened at once. A sound like a strong wind ripping through the forest and a rumble like that of an earthquake hit the two and hurled them to their backs. Then all was complete darkness and cold.

----------

Zechs and Noin were completely enjoying themselves. The band of gifted ones was surprisingly very friendly. They loved to show off their acrobatic abilities and prowess at any instrument. Zechs noticed that even Noin appeared elated by the party. In fact, he hadn't seen her that happy in a while. He held her close to him and listened to the sound of her occasional chuckle. He also noticed that he seemed relaxed and happy.

After what seemed like a short period of time but was really several hours, the colorfully dressed band retired to their tents. Only a few stayed to sit by the main fire and talk. Sally and Noin were having a very pleasant chat. It wasn't until their topic of conversations abruptly changed that Zechs came fully awake again.

"Why do you have an interest in Silude, Noin?" asked Sally, very seriously.

"Hmm," Noin thought for a few seconds before answering, "It has to do with the young man we're with."

"Quatre?"

"Yes. On our travels, right before we met him, we encountered an old woman who was kind enough to offer us shelter."

"Yes, I remember you saying something about that when you first told me about yourselves, but continue."

"This old woman seemed very knowledgeable about gifted people. Her ancestors were gifted. When we were staying with her she told me many things."

"You mean she told us many things, right?" Zechs broke in.

"No, she told them to me after you were asleep. Anyway, she told me the tales of the wizards and of the holder of Isis. Of course I had already heard these stories, but she seemed to have a reason for telling them to me. She soon made this reason clear. The holder of Isis is alive now and has the power to defeat the darkness that troubles our land." Noin paused for a moment to let what she had said sink in.

"And...and you think Quatre's this person?" asked Sally tentatively.

"Yes. It makes perfect sense. The holder of Isis is said to come from a far away land. Quatre must come from far away because he knows almost nothing of our ways. Also the holder of Isis is powerful. More powerful than any other and from what I have seen Quatre has abilities that I can not even begin to comprehend. I feel that we need to go to Silude. I want a world full of color and joy. I'm tired of this...this darkness."

"Noin," Zechs began after another minute of silence, "What if you're wrong? What if Quatre isn't the one?"

"He has to be! I just know it!"

"Yes, but Noin...aren't you being just a bit selfish? Have you even asked Quatre yet? Silude is dangerous. We could all be killed just trying to get there. Are you willing to risk the lives of Quatre and Relena based on an old story?"

"Relena doesn't have to come with us. Anyway, if Quatre is the one, and he is, then we have nothing to worry about. But I suppose you're right. I really should have talked to them about this. Just think of it though Zechs! A world like it was before! Isn't that worth a little risk? Besides, it isn't just an old story! The wizards are real! The darkness is real, or haven't you realized that yet?" finished Noin.

Zechs felt like he had been slapped in the face. He couldn't understand why Noin was acting as she was. It was as if she was possessed with the notion that Quatre was the holder of Isis. He remembered her saying something of the like before, but he hadn't thought she was actually serious. She had been leading them to Silude without his knowing it. And she made it seem like he had not seen the awful world they lived in. As if he couldn't have noticed his being an outcast. He looked at her with hurt filled eyes and stood up stiffly. Without a word he turned and marched back to the medic tent.

Noin realized that she had hurt Zechs deeply. She stood up quickly and followed after him, prepared to do anything necessary to make up with her friend. She almost ran into him as he came to a halt in front of their tent. The tent was completely demolished and there was no sign of Quatre or Relena anywhere.

----------

When Quatre came to, he found himself lying on his back somewhere in the forest. Relena was several feet away and still appeared to be unconscious. Quatre quickly sat up and checked to make sure that Relena was unhurt. She began to regain awareness after a few minutes and Quatre sighed with relief.

"Where are we?" she asked pitifully.

"Somewhere in the forest, but I have no idea where. That was really weird, huh? Are you okay?"

"Ya, just a little shaken. I'll be fine."

A harsh laugh drowned out any further conversation. Relena curled her fists into balls and shook all over with fury. Quatre noticed this and soon realized that the laughter came from the old man that had been chasing Relena before. From what Relena had told him earlier, the man was her family's magician. Quatre's thoughts raced but he could only sit on the ground, unable to come up with a plan. He only knew that if the man tried to hurt Relena he would use every ability he had to defeat him. Set with that resolution Quatre stood up in front of Relena who was on the ground, prepared to protect her.

Jymon emerged from a thick strand of trees. His sunken eyes mocked the stance that Quatre had taken against him.

"What are you going to do, boy?" he scowled.

"Relena," Quatre whispered, "move back behind those trees there. If he tries anything, run. Don't worry about me, just run. I think the camp is straight back past those same trees."

Relena carefully edged back to where Quatre had told her to go. Jymon watched her departure apprehensively. He suddenly lunged forward toward Quatre. Quatre easily stepped aside and at the same time lashed his foot out. His foot snared the old man's cloak and he fell heavily. With a defiant snarl Jymon was back on his feet in a flash and prepared to fight.

Relena watched with bated breath as the two opponents circled each other. Momentarily forgetting Quatre's commands, Relena stayed frozen in place. She could feel the energy that the two were building up for their attack. Jymon was the first to unleash his.

A blinding flash of red light shot over Quatre as he deftly ducked under the attack. Several more flashes like tongues of lightening flickered past Quatre who continued to dodge them with ease. Jymon was growing impatient. He couldn't understand how the young man could continue to avoid all of his attacks. He was more concerned however of why Quatre wasn't attacking.

After a time Jymon's questions were answered. Quatre prepared himself and let loose a surge of energy that lit up the surrounding trees with bright blue light. The one blow struck Jymon in the chest and he was flung back into the underbrush where he lay gasping with shock.

Relena almost screamed as she felt several hands grab her from the back. She whirled around and almost fainted with relief at the sight of Zechs, Noin, and Sally. The rest of the band was standing in a semi circle around the area where the fight was happening. Zechs looked upset with worry but Noin as usual looked composed. Relena turned back to watch the fight.

Quatre watched in disbelief as Jymon found his feet again. He had thought that the blow would be great enough to stop the old man. Jymon however was having difficulty standing and had to support himself on a tree. His eyes glowed a malicious blood red.

"This fight isn't over. Not by a long shot!" Jymon launched himself at his younger opponent.

Expecting to be able to dodge him again, Quatre was taken completely off guard when Jymon turned in mid air and fired a blast that rivaled the one Quatre had just used. Quatre barely had time to jump out of the way. The red ball of energy missed him by mere centimeters. The shock waves from it however threw him off balance and he nearly toppled over. He still had his wits about him and saw out of the corner of his eye Jymon's next attack. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and turned aside the attack with a small surge of energy from his own hands. Jymon's red eyes glared out at Quatre from beneath the cowl he was wearing. Quatre glared back.

After the last attack that had been so easily deflected, Jymon realized that he was running out of energy. He couldn't sustain the amount of power need to defeat the bold young man. The first blast that had hit him had also weakened him to a point of near exhaustion. In desperation, Jymon tried one last attack. He summoned what remained of his energy and let it loose at the undaunted face of his opponent. Again it was deflected easily. Jymon sank to his knees, unable to hold himself up. His shoulders sank in resignation and the battle was over.

Quatre came up beside him and Jymon could feel the incredible strength. The younger man hadn't even been affected by the amount of energy lost in the fight. Jymon stared up at Quatre and shook with fear. Quatre's eyes shone with a smokey blue light that was interspersed with tinges of green.

"Are you finished?" asked Quatre.

Jymon could only nod his head. He then tiredly stood up and retreated back to the forest. He had been defeated. He had failed.

Quatre watched the tall figure go and nodded his head with relief. Slowly his eyes returned to their normal color. He turned slightly when he felt the stares of people on his back. The troupe was standing in open mouthed amazement.

"I told you," said Noin with a superior smile, "I told you."

Back at the camp site of the band of nomads Noin sat discussing her plan with Quatre and Relena.

"I've seen what you're capable of Quatre. You have a gift that goes beyond anything anyone has ever seen. That's why I believe you are the holder of Isis. As such it is your duty to rid the world of this horrible plague and destroy the wizards. I ask now that you fulfill this duty, with us along side you the whole way."

Quatre nodded slowly but inside his thoughts were flying about like a swarm of bees. He sighed softly and realized that once again he would have to play the fool and ask what in the world Noin was talking about. He remembered Pertania once talking about such things but it had been a long time ago and she had never mentioned the old stories again. She hadn't even liked to talk about his gift.

"Alright. I'll do what you want me to, but first would you mind telling me the old stories? Just once? Where I...where I came from I was never told such things," he managed to stammer out.

"Oh..." said Noin as carefully as she could, "Well, sure I can. One hundred years ago two of the most powerful people with gifts came to the land and caused war and destruction, just like what's happening now. Another powerful person though, who came from a far away land, came and destroyed the two wizards. Before the wizards died they promised to come back with full knowledge of who they were and ruin Tera. The person who had defeated them before came to be known as having the power of Isis. It is said that he will also return to kill the sorcerers. I think you have the power of Isis."

"Me?" asked Quatre with wide eyes.

"That's right kid. You get to save the world," said Zechs.

"Look, I think you have the wrong person. I can't defeat these wizards or whatever they are. Anyway, if I really did have the power of Isis, wouldn't I too remember who I was?"

Noin thought about this for a minute but it was Relena who finally answered.

"It never says in the old stories that the holder of Isis would remember anything." She shrugged and stared at him solemnly. "But anyway, it's been a really long day. I wouldn't mind just closing my eyes and going to sleep for a couple of years." Everyone agreed with this and they all trouped back to their tents to settle in for some long deserved rest.

Zechs did his best to repair the demolished tent but in the end the four decided to just sleep by the fire. Quatre and Relena fell asleep first, Relena slowly inching her way towards the young man. Zechs and Noin chuckled over this and fell asleep in each others' arms.


	17. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Silude Mountain

Relena and Quatre laughed as Zechs tried to teach them the words to an old song he had heard. It was a bit difficult in that he couldn't remember them himself. The three were sitting around the morning campfire eating breakfast with Sally and her band. Noin was off teaching the healer a few tricks that didn't involve her special gift. It was the fourth day in the cheery camp and the four travelers were loathe to leave such a friendly atmosphere.

"Hum...dee..dum..la, la, la, something, something, something ...anyway you guys get the picture," said Zechs hopefully.

"Not really," giggled Relena, "But nice try. How about you Quatre? You know any songs?"

"Well, the lady who took care of me used to sing me this one song. I can't remember the words but I have always liked the tune." Quatre picked up a small wood flute that he had been playing with during the morning. He thought for a minute until he could clearly remember the song and then he played the little ditty for his friends. It was a catchy tune and soon he had the other gifted ones humming it and making up harmonies. All in all the morning was spent relaxing and having fun.

That evening the travelers listened to the musical performances of the troupes most talented musicians as they ate their evening meal. They talked about many things and established a plan for their journey to Silude.

"We should be able to reach the mountain in about three days if we travel hard. Once we reach the mountain we must look for the ruins of an old castle. It's said that is where the wizards conduct their business."

"Sounds good to me," said Zechs as he let out a big yawn.

"I grew up in these mountains so I know it won't be as easy as that, Zechs," said Relena archly. "These forests are dangerous. If you notice, they haven't been ravaged by the storms because the sorcerers like to keep their evil minions happy who live in this forest."

"That's the strangest thing I have ever heard," retorted Zechs. "'They like their evil minions happy.' I think they just like their section of the world to look nice."

That comment set off an argument between Relena and Zechs and Quatre felt he should stop it.

"Well in my home we never even had mountains. We had trees, but they weren't like the ones here. We mostly had beaches and lots of sand."

Relena and Zechs stopped arguing to listen and Relena was enchanted by the place that Quatre was describing.

"Tell us some more about your home. Was it hot there?"

"Yes, most of the time. It was a small island off the coast, a long ways from here. It was in the south so it was also humid. We did a lot of fishing and twice every year traders from the mainland would bring in exotic supplies and new gossip for the people on the island."

"It sounds wonderful," Relena gushed. "Why would you ever leave such a place?"

Noin had brought them blankets to keep warm in the cool night air and she looked over at Zechs. He too looked worried and they both remembered the day in the woods when Quatre had been so shaken about his past.

"Well, I've never told anyone this, but I was kind of sent away from the island."

"Hey! How come you've all of a sudden decided to tell her all about your past? You never told us! I bet it's because she's prettier than me! That's it, isn't it?" asked Zechs. He was acting so outraged that even Noin laughed at his behavior.

"Stop, stop!" said Quatre who was laughing so hard he could hardly get the words out.

Zechs smiled, glad that his remark had lightened the mood a bit. "But really, why were you sent away? Was it because of your gift?"

"No," said Quatre very seriously, all traces of humor gone from his voice. "I was sent away because the ruler of the island was very upset at me. You see, he had always been mad at me. So mad in fact that he made it so that I could never leave the house where I was being raised, and no one was ever supposed to know that was alive. I finally confronted him about it and he became so terribly upset that he banished me forever from that place."

"But why?" asked Relena in a deathly whisper. "Why was he so mad at you?"

"When I was born there during the birth, and my mother died. Her husband, my father, never forgave me for it." Quatre looked away but Relena could see that there were tears in his eyes.

"That wasn't your fault though, Quatre," said Noin who reached out a comforting hand to him.

"I know," he said quietly. "I hated him for it though. I hated him more than I have ever hated anything in my life, and I'm ashamed of that."

"You have every right to hate him!" said Relena defensively.

"You think so?"

"Yes, I do. If I were you, I wouldn't worry so much about it. You're here with us now and we're your friends!"

Quatre breathed out slowly and looked at her with his warm blue-green eyes. "Thank you Relena. You know, it really does feel better now that I've told you that." Zechs and Noin smiled and nodded their heads. That night the four of them felt closer than they had ever have, and ready to face anything that was to come.

----------

It was a tearful farewell that brought the wonderful meeting between Sally's band and the four travelers to a close. The four stood on the pathway that would take them to Silude, home of the sorcerers. Sally and her brightly colored band were ready to head the other direction. The bridge which had been severed from the cliff top had been repaired and a new safe bridge spanned the gulf which the four had once almost fallen into.

"Are you sure that you won't come with us?" asked Sally one last time.

"No. We need to do this. We would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the kindness that you have shown us. We will always remember you. If luck is with us, then we will be successful in our endeavor and return Tera to how it once was." Noin placed her hand on Sally's shoulder and smiled a reassuring smile. Sally smiled back and the two groups parted ways.

----------

The four traveled for two days before Relena started to complain. She had never had to do so much walking. Even her "adventures" in her own kingdom had involved her either riding her horse or just a short walk to the surrounding forest.

"Can't we just stop for five minutes?" she sighed.

"We got a late start so it would be better for time's sake to keep going until we make camp tonight," came Noin's logical reply. She and Zechs were used to walking and the day's march was far from strenuous. Quatre also had grown accustomed to hiking for long periods of time but he knew that Relena wouldn't be able to go much farther.

Finally Relena grew too tired to keep up with Zechs and Noin. She lagged far behind and Quatre took pity on her and stopped to wait.

"No, you go on ahead," she called up to him.

"I don't mind waiting," he replied and stood where he was.

When Relena reached him she was out of breath and red in the face. Quatre gave her a drink from his water holder and let her get her wind back. When she was ready the two continued on together at a pace that Relena could hold.

Quatre was glad that they had a definite path to follow because he had lost sight of Zechs and Noin.

Quatre, supporting Relena, reached the camp Zechs and Noin had made late into the evening. Zechs looked up at them and smirked. Noin just gave them an appraising look and settled back to look at the fire. Relena sat down and sighed with content as she removed her stiff boots and rubbed her sore feet.

"Tomorrow you two will have to keep up," said Noin, matter-of-factly. "We have a long way to go tomorrow and it wouldn't do for us to be separated."

"And if little Relena gets too tired, maybe we can just carry her on our backs, eh Quatre?" mocked Zechs.

Quatre smiled at Relena but she glared back at him.

"I can take care of myself, Mr. Zechs. You just worry about yourself!" said Relena who had obviously been offended by his remarks.

Zechs just laughed at her. He stopped laughing however and turned very watchful. He looked up at the cloud darkened sky and stayed very still. Noin too had gone quiet and was watching the sky. Quatre stood up and held out his hand as if he were seeing if it was raining. Relena was mystified by her friends' behavior but didn't ask for fear that she would interrupt them.

Suddenly a streak of red light lit up the night sky. A tremendous crash soon followed it. Zechs and Noin were hastily cramming things back into their packs and Quatre urged Relena to do likewise. Then Relena understood. It was a storm! In her home, she had never had to be wary of the storms because she was always inside, but out in the open, that was a different story. Zechs pulled her to her feet and in an instant the travelers were off and running.

"Where are we going?" she cried out, her voice muffled by the approaching storm.

"We have to find shelter or else we could be killed by that lightening!" yelled Quatre over the din.

The four stumbled in the darkness over unseen rocks and branches. The storm grew closer and closer until Quatre began to feel the drops of hot rain on his neck and hands. Zechs and Noin soon felt them as well and urged themselves onward at a faster pace. The red lightening lit the night and slashed across the sky like a dagger drawing blood. The noise caused by the wind and the thunder was terrifyingly loud. Relena felt her heart stop every time she felt the vibrations from the lightening and thunder pass through her. She managed to look back and see Quatre running white faced right behind her.

Another flash of light lit up the surrounding area and a rocky outcropping came into view. On closer inspection it was realized that amidst the rocks was a small opening which the travelers hoped would be a cave. They scrambled over debris and squeezed through the opening in the rocks.

Inside the mound of boulders was a tiny cave with just barely enough room for all four companions. Relena was wedged in the back where her back scraped painfully against the rock wall. Zechs was somehow tangled up with Noin so that they could no longer tell which hand or foot was whose. Noin and Quatre were pushed up against each other so that Noin's head was resting on Quatre's chest and the rest of her was fitted against the curves of the walls. All together in was a very close fit.

Somehow they all managed to fall asleep in the narrow confines of their shelter. Exhausted, they slept deeply and didn't awake until Zechs began to feel stifled by the heat from the four bodies in the small space. He twisted and turned until he was able to reach the opening and pull himself out. He had awakened the others in the process and they too exited the cave.

When they were all out and fully awake they stretched and tried to loosen sore muscles and cramps from the awkward positions they had been in.

"Well, that shoots my idea out the window," mumbled Zechs as he scrubbed his face with his hands.

"What idea?" asked Quatre sleepily.

"The idea that the sorcerers want to keep their section of the world looking nice. Look what the storm did." Zechs pointed down the slope they had just come up during the storm. All the vegetation had turned a sickly brown and rivers of foul smelling mud covered the landscape. The small group of rocks that the four had sought shelter in seemed to be the break line. Everything downhill of it was dead or dying.

Relena wrinkled her nose in disgust. "How can they enjoy causing so much destruction?" she said.

"Let's keep going," said Quatre. "I don't want to look at this any more than I have to." The others agreed and they turned to continue their climb.

The night after the terrible storm the travelers came to the mountain of Silude. The mountain itself was pitch black in color and no living things grew on it. The sorcerer's "castle" was composed of one giant spiral of black rock that climbed out of the mountain's steep side. Over all, Silude left a sinister impression.

Zechs shuddered involuntarily. He noticed that Relena and Noin had the same reaction.

"Well, we're here," Zechs said nervously. "You all sure you want to do this? I mean, we don't have to..."

"Yes, Zechs, we have to," interrupted Noin.

"Fine," sighed Zechs.

The four made their way up the slope towards the immense fortress of blackened stone. Though the tower had looked close from down below the hike up to it was taking an extraordinary amount of time. Soon all the travelers were completely depressed by the scenery and the realization that they would have to make camp on the mountainside that night because it was already growing too dark to see.

They made camp in the most sheltered area they could because the wind was picking up. The feeble campfire that they made flickered in the breeze and threatened to go out. They huddled around it for warmth and wished that they had thought ahead a little at what type of clothing would be appropriate for the high mountain climate. Despite the cold and sinister atmosphere the travelers managed to catch a few hours of much needed sleep.

----------

Morning dawned a bright freezing cold. Frost lay everywhere that the body heat from the four hadn't melted. Relena awoke and realized she could see her breath. She crouched closer to the sleeping form of Quatre for warmth and wished the others would wake up soon.

Noin awoke several minutes later and nudged Zechs and Quatre awake. Zechs moaned and muttered something about the cold and lack of sleep and then took all of his companion's blankets and wrapped them around himself so that only his eyes were visible. Relena giggled and Noin smiled at him. Quatre quickly built up the campfire and rubbed his hands together briskly to warm them. Relena did likewise while casting longing glances over at Zechs and the mound of blankets that was covering him. He seemed in no mood however to share any of them with her so Quatre removed his traveler's cape and draped it over Relena's trembling shoulders. She smiled her gratitude at him because her teeth were chattering too hard to speak.

Noin had no such humility and walked over to Zechs where she managed to crawl inside the blankets and wound up in Zechs's arms. Zechs was in absolute ecstasy.

After they had sufficiently warmed up and the sun had melted the morning's frost, the four started on the last leg of the journey. The climbing was slow and rough going because of the steepness of the slope. Sharp rocks were loosened by the leading member of the party and they slid down to cut and knock painfully into shins. By early afternoon Relena, Zechs, and Quatre were scraped and bruised. Noin, who had been leading, switched places with Zechs who had borne the brunt of the falling debris.

After what seemed like an eternity the four reached the tall spiral of the sorcerer's castle. They all were acutely aware of the sinister presence of such a structure and what was inside it. The wind picked up again and they thought it best to find their way into the castle.

An hour and fourteen trips around the black rock spiral later Zechs began to rant.

"I can't believe this! We get all this way and we can't even find a way in. What a complete waste of time! Didn't anyone even think about what if we weren't able to get in?"

"Zechs!" scolded Noin. "Stop your yammering and do something constructive."

"LIKE WHAT?? We're stuck on a stupid freezing mountainside next to a stupid black rock sticking out of the ground and we're too stupid to find a way innnn.....!" On his last explosive word Zechs smacked the curved rock wall with his hand and fell into the castle. A cunningly hid entrance had swung open and allowed them passage into the castle.

Noin helped Zechs stand up and for a moment simply stood in the doorway and smirked at him.

"Well, I did something constructive, didn't I?" he replied sarcastically.

Relena silenced him with a firm grip on his arm and pointed beyond the entrance. Past the doorway was a flight of steps and beyond that was complete darkness. They had reached Silude and the castle of the sorcerers!

Zechs winced with pain as Relena's nails bit into his arm. He carefully pulled her away from him and then noticed a strange glow emanating from somewhere in the dark entryway.

"Relena, look," said Quatre in a low voice. "Your necklace, it's glowing!"

Relena looked down and indeed her pendant had turned a fiery red. Relena took it up in her hands and was amazed to find it almost too hot to touch. When she held it though the color deepened and the heat began to pulse through her. The morning's cold had been soothed away from the heat and she felt stronger, revived somehow.

"Quatre, come here. Hold it in your hands and see if it does anything like it did that other night."

Quatre seemed very reluctant however to touch the pulsating stone.

"Come on. At the least it will warm you up." Relena beckoned him over and Quatre approached her nervously. He held out his hands under the pendant as he had before as Relena let it slip into his hands. A wave of almost unbearable pain flooded through Quatre and he let the necklace fall back against Relena's chest with a gasp of pain. He staggered backward and rubbed his hands which felt like they had been doused in boiling water.

"Are you okay?" asked Relena with such concern that Quatre managed a weak reply. Inwardly though, Quatre was terrified and repulsed by the stone that had suddenly turned a blood red. He almost fainted with fear as Zechs suddenly gripped his shoulder and shook him slightly.

"Come this way. I think that this is the way we should be going if we're going to meet the sorcerers," said Noin. Zechs was relieved to notice that Noin had taken command of the situation. The olive skinned woman started up the stairs with Zechs following closely on her heels. Relena went next and Quatre lingered behind trying to put as much distance between himself and the necklace as possible.

Noin had just reached the main floor that the stairs led up to when a brilliant white light lit the stairway and burned into the travelers' eyes. By the time Quatre had adjusted to the darkness again Noin had fallen to the floor and Zechs had stumbled to her side. Relena and Quatre ran to her as well. She lay very still on the hard floor of the castle. Zechs cradled her in his arms and was shaking with anger and intense worry. Relena bent down and examined the limp form of their friend. She finally determined that Noin was unconscious and probably injured some way but still alive.

A snort of cruel laughter brought their heads up sharply as they looked around for the source of the sound. Quatre was the first to pick up the slight movement of someone in the shadows of the room. Relena saw it after her eyes finished adjusting to the gloom. The creature in the corner flicked out its arms in a relaxed manner and then the room was filled with light. The light though wasn't the white glare they had seen before but a pale orange color. It was then that they were able to see Noin's attacker.

The man in the corner was dressed in fine black clothes and had jet black hair. He could have been considered handsome by many but his good looks were masked by his soulless stare. His eyes burned with an unholy fire. Relena shrank back against Zechs who still seemed too occupied with Noin to do more than notice the other man's presence.

The man in black snickered and turned his gaze down at Noin.

"Fool," he drawled with a hint of amusement in his voice. He then looked back at Quatre and squinted his eyes a bit. "Hmm, how strange. Diatom, what in Hell's name are you doing with these...these people?"

"What? What are you talking...I don't...what?" Quatre stammered, unable to grasp what the man was saying.

The man stepped from his corner and with a sigh began to speak again, "This is truly sad. Here I thought that you had been clever for once and led our enemies to Silude, but I see now that if anything you were stupider than I could have ever imagined."

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about but if you try to hurt my friends again I'll...I'll..." seethed Quatre in fury.

"You'll what? Kill me? Oh, dear god. This is very bad," said the stranger who sat down on a larger black stone with a contemplative look on his face.

"Quatre," whispered Relena, "What is he talking about?"

"I really don't know," he whispered back.

"Of course you don't know what's happening," said the man in a surly voice. "You screwed up! Now it looks like I'm going to have to refresh your memory, so just sit there and listen up because I'm only going to tell it once."

Noin stirred in Zechs's arms and slowly opened her eyes. She looked and the sorcerer and glared at him. He laughed scornfully and then placed his finger to his lips in a signal for her to keep quiet.

"Once, a long time ago, two sorcerers came to Tera and took over the planet. It wasn't hard considering the weaklings that lived on such a dismal little mud ball. Anyway, those sorcerers' names were Faitom and Daitom. They were the most powerful people that had ever walked this planet. Then something happened and a child was born that was stronger than the sorcerers. That little brat went after the sorcerers and killed them in a hideously painful way. But those two guys weren't stupid. They figured out a way to get back and to come back with their memories and powers intact and conquer Tera again.

"A long time passed and the lead sorcerer, Faitom, decided that it was time to return. He came to Tera and did a pretty good job getting it back to the way it was. Unfortunately, his partner Daitom was an idiot, and for some unknown reason came back with his powers intact but not his memory! But all that aside, I would be willing to reeducate my blundering friend and help him find his mind so that we can get on with our original plan. So, Daitom, what do you say? "

Faitom stared for a long time down at Quatre who seemed paralyzed with fear. He couldn't seem to make his mouth work well enough to answer the sorcerer. Relena stared at Quatre with shock filled eyes and then reached out and grabbed him by the arm. The pain that shot through Quatre numbed his arm and made him scramble away from the girl with as much speed as he could muster. He held his arm to his chest and tried to ignore the pain. He looked over at Faitom who had curled his mouth up into a hideous snarl. His eyes burned with loathing as he stared at Relena.

"You!" he managed to rip out at Relena. "You have the power of Isis! You monster!"

"Look who's talking!" screamed back Relena as she jumped to her feet.

"This time you die for good brat!" shouted Faitom and with one wild move let loose a burst of bright energy at Relena. Relena screamed and tried to dodge the ball of light. It was almost upon her when she felt someone push her aside. Her rescuer took the blast in the chest and fell back against the wall. He slid to the ground where he gasped for breath as the killing blast slowly numbed his body. Relena turned and her eyes widened in recognition.

Jymon turned pain filled eyes toward her and she quickly stooped to his side.

"Jymon? Why..why did you save me?" she said.

"You...are very important...to this planet. 't let you....get hurt. I tried...to protect you...keep you in the kingdom...until you could defeat the sorcerers. I never meant to...hurt you...but I had to keep you safe...no matter what. The young man you're with...will try to kill you...he's a sorcerer...don't die...defeat them...I'm begging you..." Jymon trailed off and slumped over dead. Relena clenched her hands and gritted her teeth. He had only meant to protect her.

Relena stood up and turned purposefully toward Faitom. She wouldn't let Jymon's death be for nothing. She would do what she had been born to do. She would destroy the sorcerers and end the darkness that enveloped her beloved home.

Faitom wasn't going to go without a fight. He concentrated and fired another attack at Relena. She tried deflecting it with her gift but she was no where near strong enough to block it. She ducked just in time and tried an attack of her own. What she was able to produce was a feeble ball of green light that Faitom deflected easily. Even that miserable attack made her weak and shaky. She planted her feet firmer to try and ward off the next attack that was thrown at her by the sorcerer. Faitom was so much stronger than she was though and his attack would have easily hit her had Quatre not stepped in the way.

"What are you doing?" yelled Relena and Faitom at the same time at Quatre.

Quatre didn't answer but spent his energy in putting up a shield around Relena and himself. Faitom bounced several attacks off the blue wall that separated him from his enemy. Finally tired of that approach he tried a more diplomatic stance.

"Look, you fool! Why are you protecting her? She's going to kill you! And if she doesn't, I will! Now get over here and help me. Don't you want to be on the winning side? Can't you see that she isn't strong enough to defeat me? "

"I don't care what you say," said Quatre very calmly. "I only know that if you try to hurt her I will gladly sacrifice my life for her. She is the only one who can truly get rid of this awful darkness that you've caused. I don't care if I was a sorcerer once. I'm not now. And I won't ever be again! I won't let you hurt her. I won't!"

"Oh, you poor stupid fool! Don't you see that even if you defeat me, which you won't, you will never be able to be close to her? I can see it in your eyes that you care about this girl, but that won't make much difference. You still have the abilities of a sorcerer and so with that comes the curse that if she touches you, you'll die! Is that what you want?"

Relena suddenly understood. It wasn't her gift that was stronger than the sorcerers', it was her as a person. All she had to do was to touch him and he would die! Fired by that knowledge she quickly advanced toward Faitom. Quatre seemed to understand her intentions too and redoubled his shield around her to protect her.

Faitom growled with rage and launched attack after attack on Quatre as Relena came steadily closer to him. Relena looked back and saw that she had better hurry. Quatre was using up all his energy to protect her and so had left himself open to Faitom's attacks. Relena ran forward and threw herself on Faitom. The sorcerer easily shrugged her off though and she fell heavily to the ground.

Quatre felt weak and a cold icy pain was shooting through him. He went down on his knees as he felt the pain overtake him. He was just about to give in to the blackness that was enveloping him when he saw Zechs step up beside him. Yellow energy spewed forth from his fingertips and Faitom howled in pain as he felt the fires engulf his cloak. Relena used that distraction to leap on Faitom again. She grabbed hold of him and held on for dear life. She felt her energy being poured into stopping him. Faitom yelled again and then shook with horror at the thought of his approaching death. He fought violently in the last seconds of life and then gave a piercing shriek and collapsed in a bright ball of white light.

The last thing Quatre saw was a ball of bright light that knocked him backward with such force that his head hit against the dark stones. As everything went black he smiled with relief and he knew that he had protected Relena. She was safe.

Relena reached out to support herself against the stones of the rock wall and gave in to the horrible shivers that racked her body. She sank to her knees and for several minutes tried to calm her racing heart. She sprang back alert as she saw a flare of light in the room. She looked around her and saw that Zechs was lighting the room with torches. Noin was completely revived and was kneeling beside Quatre. That was when Relena realized that something wasn't right.

She crept over to him and saw that Noin had tears in her eyes. She didn't even bother to brush them away as they rolled down her cheeks. Quatre lay very still and after a while Relena realized he wasn't breathing. She let out a strangled cry that brought Zechs over to her side. Zechs looked down at Quatre's still form and then pulled Noin into his arms to comfort her for she was sobbing in earnest by that time. Relena also began to cry and she let her head drop to her chest to hide the tears that streamed down her pretty face.

She jerked back when she noticed that the necklace was glowing again. A bright blue that swirled around inside the stone. She carefully removed the necklace and cupped it in her hands. She bent over and placed the stone on Quatre. The blue stone began to burn with such brilliance that it was almost painful to look at. Then Relena bent over and held her friend in her arms. The stone began to swirl with a soft minty green color. The stone became too small for it to contain the combined energies of Relena and Quatre and it burst forth from the necklace and surrounded the two young Terans. Zechs and Noin looked on with amazement as Quatre slowly opened his beautiful eyes the color of the sea. He took Relena in his arms, and feeling no pain what-so-ever, he kissed her.

----------

The sunlight made the four travelers squint as they walked out of the castle. Relena was holding tightly on to Quatre. With her free arm she lifted it as if to try and catch the rays of light in her hand. Zechs laughed and soon his infectious laughter had his companions in fits as well.

After they had calmed down enough to speak, Quatre asked Zechs why he had been laughing.

"It's sunlight!" he said joyously. "I haven't seen true sunlight for years! And look! Not a cloud in the sky!"

His companions looked up and giggled and shouted with happiness. Zechs quickly wiped away the tears that had been stinging his eyes and pulled Noin over to him. She hugged him briefly and gave him a warm smile. He laughed again and looked out over the world before him. It was a world filled with light, color, and happiness.

The End


End file.
